The private investigator whose apparent confession prompted Prince Harry and others to sue the publisher of the Daily Mail has claimed that his pivotal witness statement was “completely false” and the signature “a forgery”.

Gavin Burrows claimed that a witness statement dated August 2021, in which he appeared to admit targeting “a large number of private individuals” over a number of years by hacking phones and bugging cars, was “prepared by others without my knowledge”.

Five of the seven claimant s – including the Duke of Sussex, Sir Elton John and Baroness Doreen Lawrence – have told the High Court they embarked on the high-profile legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited based on evidence apparently obtained by Burrows.

The private investigator said he “felt very sorr

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