London - A senior BBC executive says he feels “invaded and sickened” by the revelation that his phone was hacked repeatedly by staff at Britain's Mirror Group newspapers.
Alan Yentob, the broadcaster's creative director, told a High Court hearing Friday that he felt “violated on a truly massive scale.”
A lawyer for hacking victims said illegal eavesdropping was “rife” at the Mirror, Sunday Mirror and People newspapers for almost a decade from 1999.
Hacking produced scores of stories, though none was about Yentob. Journalists eavesdropped on his phone for information on his high-profile friends, who included Sting, Mel Brooks and Salman Rushdie.
A judge is hearing a case by eight claimants to determine damages to be paid to hacking victims.
Trinity Mirror PLC, which owns the newspapers, has accepted liability and apologized.
Sapa-AP