Hugh Grant has called on U.K. police to launch a criminal investigation into Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN) after the actor settled his own case against the company. This comes shortly after Prince Harry reached an agreement in his legal battle against The Sun newspaper, which is part of the same group. The Duke of Sussex had accused the publication, along with News of the World, of illegally obtaining his private information through phone hacking between 2006 and 2011. NGN issued a public apology to Prince Harry for the violation.
Grant, who also sued The Sun for hacking into his phone, discussed his next steps during an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Today program. The actor, known for his roles in films like Notting Hill, shared that he believes a civil lawsuit is insufficient to address the situation. Instead, he argued that a criminal case is needed, as Murdoch’s agency has been silencing victims for years.
Grant explained, “That’s what they’ve done consistently over the last 10 years.” He criticized NGN for spending “£1 billion” to prevent these cases from being properly examined in court. “What they’re terrified of is that those findings would trigger a new criminal inquiry,” he said. Grant believes the actions of the individuals involved in the scandal, particularly those who were working at The Sun at the time, should be thoroughly investigated, as many of them still hold significant power in the industry today.
His statement emphasizes the need for stronger legal action, as Grant believes that those responsible for the phone hacking have managed to avoid true accountability for far too long.