Former Daily Mail showbusiness editor denies hacking Sadie Frost's voicemails

Nicole Lampert, a former showbusiness editor at the Daily Mail, appeared in court to address allegations surrounding her reporting on the relationship between actors Jude Law and Sadie Frost. Lampert firmly denied ever listening to voicemail messages between the couple, insisting that the information she published was sourced from a reliable insider. She described her source as being close to Frost and stated that the newspaper received details through a trusted freelance journalist.

Sadie Frost, who is among seven prominent individuals suing the Mail’s publisher, Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), claims that the publications infringed on her privacy over a span of two decades. The actress made clear in her testimony before the High Court that she had initially distrusted friends but now completely believes that some stories about her stemmed from the hacking of her voicemails. The legal action accuses ANL of serious privacy violations, which the publisher denies. Frost’s complaint specifically references four articles, written by Lampert between 2003 and 2005.

While giving evidence, Lampert rejected the allegations as “rubbish,” emphasizing that she never accessed voicemail recordings. She explained that the information in one particular article was either already public or provided by a freelance contact named Sharon Feinstein. Lampert elaborated, saying, “Sharon had a very strong source in Sadie Frost Law’s social circle or family and was able to get excellent information from that source, so I would usually speak to her.” She added, “This was always the same source, and I knew who her source was, and knew that they were able to provide reliable information.”

The courtroom exchanges also covered several contentious articles about private matters between Law and Frost, including a piece in 2004 relating to a £10 million divorce settlement. Law’s legal team objected to the suggestion he had agreed to the settlement, prompting the Daily Mail to issue an apology. Mr. David Sherborne, representing the claimants, suggested that the publishers could not openly contest the complaint because the real source was hidden due to phone hacking—a claim Lampert dismissed. She maintained that her information came from legitimate human sources via Feinstein. The ongoing case, which also includes high-profile individuals like Prince Harry, alleges that ANL engaged in systematic, unlawful information-gathering practices such as phone hacking, private investigation, and blagging between 1993 and beyond 2018. The trial is expected to continue for nine weeks

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