Allegations of extensive unlawful information-gathering practices have arisen against Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), with serious claims including phone hacking and bugging, based on the contested testimony of private investigator Gavin Burrows. Four claimants, including Elton John and his husband David Furnish, as well as actors Liz Hurley and Sadie Frost, are emphasizing the importance of Burrows's statements, which allege various invasions of privacy such as tapping Hurley’s phone and hacking the phone of John and Furnish’s gardener.
During the ongoing trial, solicitor Anjlee Sangani testified that she did not supervise Burrows's signing of the statement, which she previously approved. Sangani confirmed that the signing process was delegated to Graham Johnson, a former phone hacker turned researcher for the claimants, which ANL's legal team argues raises doubts about the authenticity of the statement.
Despite claims of limited involvement, Sangani asserted her close engagement with Burrows, stating she met with him multiple times in March 2021. She described feeling uncomfortable and frightened during one meeting but maintained that Burrows understood the purpose of his witness statement. Burrows has since claimed that the document was forged, complicating the case further.