Hugh Grant's Awfully Big Phone-Hacking Victory

British judge orders police to give the actor all information it has pertaining to a News of the World employee illegally eavesdropping on his communications

By Josh Grossberg Jul 20, 2011 3:15 PMTags
Hugh GrantRamey Photo

It's not quite a pie in the face of a nemesis, but Hugh Grant just got some just desserts in the U.K.'s phone-hacking scandal.

A London Court today ordered Scotland Yard to turn over to Grant all evidence it has regarding a private investigator who illicitly gained access to the voice messages for the star and his former girlfriend, Jemima Khan, under orders from Rupert Murdoch's now-shuttered News of the World tabloid.

Here's what went down.

Per the U.K.'s Guardian, which broke the hacking scandal wide open with its report that minions of Murdoch's News International broke into the cell phone of a teenage murder victim, the erstwhile couple's lawyer also asked the High Court to order London's Metropolitan Police to release any information pertaining to "the passing of material about the claimants to other newspapers." 

Justice Geoffrey Vos granted the demand, declared that it was "expedient and proper" for authorities to disclose all facts pertaining to private eye Glenn Mulcaire's illegal eavesdropping.

The dirty detective spent six months in prison in 2007 after pleading guilty to intercepting phone messages of royal aides on behalf of Murdoch's media empire. Mulcaire, who until today had his legal fees paid for by News International, has since apologized.

In today's relatively brief hearing, neither Grant nor Khan was present. But the police commissioner told the court Scotland Yard did not oppose forking over the information.

No doubt the big screen heartthrob, who has become a spokesman of sorts for the antihacking lobby group, Hacked Off, will be delighted with the decision as it reinforces his call for an official inquiry into the matter.

Grant and Khan parted company in 2007 after three years together.