Ex-Mail reporter denies making payments for Lawrence information

Former Daily Mail investigative reporter Stephen Wright has bitterly criticised claims he paid private investigators for information about the Stephen Lawrence murder inquiry.

Wright told the High Court they were the "most despicable allegations it is possible to put to any journalist" and that the claims were "utter nonsense".

Giving evidence at the privacy case brought by Lawrence's mother, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, against the Mail's publisher, Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), Wright said he was proud of the work he had done to campaign for her son's killers to be brought to justice.

Baroness Lawrence accuses Wright and the newspaper publisher of using unlawful methods to research five articles about the case of her son's racially motivated murder in 1993, based on evidence from several private investigators.

Baroness Lawrence is one of a number of high-profile figures, including Prince Harry and Sir Elton John, who are suing ANL for "grave breaches of privacy". Allegations include phone tapping over a 20-year period.

ANL has strongly denied the claims.

At the High Court, barrister David Sherborne, representing Baroness Lawrence, questioned Wright about whether the Daily Mail's reporting was partly motivated by a belief that the Lawrence family was benefiting financially from the case.

"I have worked tirelessly for 25 years to help the Lawrence family get justice for their son," Wright, a veteran Daily Mail staffer, responded.

"Mr Sherborne you should be ashamed of yourself ... given what Mr and Mrs Lawrence went through I wouldn't begrudge them any money."

Stephen, aged 18, was stabbed by a gang while waiting at a bus stop in Eltham, south-east London.

The Metropolitan Police's failures to properly investigate the five prime suspects in the case became notorious and led to the force being branded "institutionally racist" by a landmark public inquiry in 1999.

The Lawrences received £320,000 in compensation in 2000 for police failures.

Two men were were found guilty of murdering Stephen after a trial in 2012, but the other suspects have not been convicted.

The Daily Mail campaigned on the Lawrence family's behalf, running a famous front page in 1997 naming the five prime suspects in Stephen's murder.

Baroness Lawrence said in a previous case statement she believed the Mail was on her son's side but now felt she had been "played for a fool", alleging private phone calls and conversations were secretly recorded by investigators.

One of the investigators, Gavin Burrows, previously said in a witness statement he worked for the Daily Mail in phone tapping and "blagging" private information. He has since retracted this statement, claiming his signature was forged.

Wright told the court the reason he mentioned the retracted claims in his own statement was because "for four years I've lived under a cloud of the most despicable allegations it's possible to put to any journalist."

"Of course I had to respond to it. To deny it."

Wright also strongly denied allegations he met private investigator Jonathan Rees and corrupt police officers in Thornton Heath pubs to pay them for information for stories.

Wright said in his witness statement he spoke with John Ross, an ex-police officer sacked for misconduct, who was a "very good tipster" he took to lunch once or twice a year to maintain contact. He however denied paying serving police officers for information.

Wright later called an allegation of paying a private investigator to "blag" information from Lady Lawrence "absolute nonsense".

Further questions were raised about records showing Wright repeatedly commissioning private investigator firm ELI (Express Locate International) to obtain information.

The former Daily Mail journalist said it was for legal searches of the electoral roll and land registry, which were difficult to obtain in-house.

However, Sherborne produced emails in court indicating the Mail newspapers had provided access to the electoral roll and phone directory for journalists' research.

He said reporters turned to ELI because it specialised in unlawful methods for obtaining ex-directory phone numbers and other personal information.

The case is set to continue throughout February.