Sadie Frost has spoken of her relief after she won £260,250 over phone hacking by Mirror Group Newspapers.

More than £1 million in damages has been awarded in total to the group of celebrities, including ex-England footballer Paul Gascoigne, who was awarded £188,250 at the High Court.

Mr Justice Mann also awarded £155,000 to soap star Shane Richie, £117,500 and £157,250 respectively to former Corrie star Shobna Gulati and former EastEnders actress Lucy Taggart, and £85,000 to TV executive Alan Yentob.

Shane Richie
Shane Richie (Ian West/PA)

Lawyers for the phone-hacking victims claimed today’s payouts, totalling around £1.2 million, were “unparalleled”.

Eight damages awards were decided after a three-week hearing in March to determine the extent of the wrongdoing to the group and what level of compensation was appropriate.

Speaking outside court, Frost said: “It has been a very difficult time and a time to reflect. I am relieved this is at an end and justice has been done.”

Her solicitor, Mark Thomson of Atkins Thomson, said: “She is thrilled with the outcome of today.

Sadie Frost gives a statement to journalists
Sadie Frost gives a statement to journalists (Andrew Matthews/PA)

“Whilst Sadie would have preferred not to have come to court to relive painful experiences, having been left with no option by MGN, she is relieved that the judge has recognised… the sustained and intrusive impact that MGN’s repeated publication of her private information had on her life and her family.

“It was important for Sadie to bring an action against MGN in order to find out as much as possible about what had gone on. She accepts, reluctantly, that she will never know the full extent of the unlawful activities by MGN but is relieved to have finally found out that her private information was hacked rather than having been leaked by someone close to her.

“My client now wants to put this matter behind her.”

Lucy Taggart
Lucy Taggart (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Taggart, who was in court with Frost and Gulati, and played Lisa Fowler in EastEnders, said: “Nothing can take away or repair the damage that was caused to me both personally and professionally and the impact it had on my friends, family and relationships at that time.

“The damages, although welcome, can never repair the hurt that was caused.

“I hope this judgment sends the apppropriate message with regard to the behaviour of the tabloid press going forward and how they obtain stories.”

Referring to her former EastEnders colleague and partner, she added: “I would like to thank Steve McFadden for his support during the trial.”

The judge said the victims had all suffered a “serious infringement of privacy” and the scale of hacking was “very substantial indeed”.

Shobna Gulati
Shobna Gulati (Chris Radburn/PA)

In previous hearings, David Sherborne, counsel for the eight claimants, described hacking as “rife” across all three of the group’s national titles by mid-1999.

But MGN’s counsel, Matthew Nicklin QC, said the claim that the victims suffered “unparalleled” harm was wrong and there was no reason why compensation for distress caused by misuse of private information should go beyond that awarded in other types of litigation.

Earlier in the year, Trinity Mirror published a “sincere and unreserved” apology for the voicemail interception, saying it “was unlawful and should never have happened”.

In a trading update, it said the cost of resolving civil claims would be “higher than previously envisaged” and it was increasing the provision for dealing with them by £8 million to £12 million.

A lawyer for Gascoigne said he was “relieved to have finally found out that his private information was hacked, resulting in many articles that grossly intruded into his private life, rather than having been leaked by someone close to him”.

Paul Gascogine
Paul Gascogine (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Anjlee Saigol, of Atkins Thomson, solicitor for Gulati and TV producer Robert Ashworth, who also won damages, said they were extremely happy with the decision.

“Whilst it was very painful for both Shobna and Robert to give evidence, they are grateful to the judge for listening to them and appreciating the impact the many articles published about them by MGN had on their lives, both professionally and personally.

“The judge noted how relationships were lost, problems within marriages exacerbated and personal difficulties made worse due to MGN”s conduct which involved daily and systematic intrusions into their private lives over several years.”