Welsh singer-song writer Charlotte Church is close to settling her phone-hacking case against defunct British tabloid newspaper, the News of the World, allowing Rupert Murdoch’s media group to avoid a High Court trial and further scandal ahead of the first publication of a Sunday edition of The Sun.

Breach of privacy

Out of an initial group of 60 who had sued News Group Newspapers for breach of privacy, Ms Church, 26, and her parents were the only plaintiffs not to have settled their claims.
The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that an offer of between £380,000 and £500,000 has now been made to pay the family damages and legal costs. The case had been due to be heard on Monday.
The Financial Times suggests this would have been exceptionally bad timing for Mr Murdoch as the hearing would have been held just one day after the first publication of a Sunday edition of The Sun, his only remaining UK tabloid title.

Distressing stories

Ms Church, her mother and step-father had complained that the News of the World published distressing stories about them that had originated from voicemail messages hacked by Glenn Mulcaire, a private detective who was jailed for phone-hacking in 2007.