Spice Girls’ Mel C among stars to file phone-hacking cases against Murdoch media empire

A group of 1990s pop stars have initiated phone-hacking cases against Rupert Murdoch’s media empire that was rocked by scandal over a decade ago.

Spice Girls’s Melanie Chisholm, Boyzone singer Shane Lynch, S Club 7’s Hannah Spearritt, and Steps’s Ian Watkins and Lee Latchford-Evans have all filed cases against Murdoch’s company, according to a recent report by The Guardian.

These claims have reportedly been brought against the now-defunct News of the World, Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers Subsidiary and the legal owner of British tabloid, The Sun.

The report comes on the heels of Piers Morgan’s announcement that he would be rejoining Murdoch’s News Corp.

On 16 September, Morgan tweeted: “I’ve gone home. Great to be rejoining Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation after 28 years. The place I started my media career, with the boss who gave me my first big break. We’re going to have a lot of fun….”

The Independent reported that Morgan will lead the launch of Murdoch-owned News UK’s new current affairs television station, talkTV, with a brand new weeknight programme.

Morgan will also publish two weekly columns for News Corp’s The Sun and the New York Post, as part of the extensive global deal.

Many on social media were dismayed that Morgan had landed yet another “cushy job” just months after his departure from ITV’s Good Morning Britain, following widespread outrage over comments he made on-air about Meghan Markle.

During an episode in March, Morgan said he “didn’t believe a word” Markle said about struggling with suicidal thoughts or allegedly experiencing racism during her time as a royal, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

One user wrote: “I feel he will go the same way as @afneil on GB news , he will start with a fan fare and then go out with a whimper. Plus Murdoch has enough control of our press and broadcasting do we need any more ?”

Morgan’s reappointment at News Corp will likely turn the focus back to phone-hacking, following his stint as editor of the Mirror .

Morgan’s time at the newspaper was marred by claims that reporters would routinely hack phones as a means to gather information.

He has, however, firmly refuted any allegations of personal wrongdoing as well as any knowledge of unlawful information-gathering.

talkTV will offer a mix of “hourly news bulletins, sports and entertainment shows as well as current affairs, debate, opinion and documentaries”, the group said in a statement.

The station is scheduled to launch next year.

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