Phone hacking at Mirror Group newspapers made the crimes of the News of the World look like a ‘cottage industry’, the High Court was told yesterday. Journalists at the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and the People listened in to the private messages of celebrities on a ‘mass industrial scale’, it was claimed. Scores of celebrities including footballer Paul Gascoigne and actress Sadie Frost were targeted thousands of times. Hacking claims: Scores of celebrities including footballer Paul Gascoigne (left) and actress Sadie Frost (right) were targeted thousands of times . In a sign of the scale of the gross intrusion, one reporter is suspected of hacking about 100 people every day for 18 months. And a senior colleague was so desperate for stories he wanted to create an ‘Enigma-type’ code-breaking machine so he could access more messages. The details were revealed yesterday at the start of a civil claim brought by eight claimants, including Gascoigne, Miss Frost and BBC chief Alan Yentob. Details: A civil claim is being brought by eight claimants, including Gascoigne, Miss Frost and BBC chief Alan Yentob (pictured) Mr Justice Mann must assess the extent of phone hacking across the three titles and rule on the level of damages payable to each of the claimants. The newspaper group has already set up a £12million compensation fund. Last month it printed an apology for ‘unwarranted and unacceptable intrusion into people’s private lives’ in the decade up to 2009. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
Claims involve reporters at Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and People . Celebrities including Paul Gascoigne and Sadie Frost were targeted . One reporter os suspected of hacking 100 people daily for 18 months .