Trinity Mirror denies 'killer email' claim in share-dealing scandal

Trinity Mirror has denied a claim made to the Leveson inquiry that a "killer email" shows "conclusively" that former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan was aware of the "City Slickers" share-trading scandal at his newspaper.

The allegation, made in written evidence to the inquiry by former Mirror political editor David Seymour, was "wrong" and an "urban myth", the publisher's lawyers said yesterday.

James Hipwell and Anil Bhoyrul, the journalists involved in the "City Slickers" column, were both fired by the Mirror in 2000, accused of buying shares and tipping them in the paper. Hipwell was sentenced to 59 days in prison and Bhoyrul to 180 hours of community service.

In his witness statement, which was admitted as evidence by the inquiry yesterday, Seymour claimed the Press Complaints Commission was aware of the share-tipping scandal but failed to act.

Seymour said: "The failure of the PCC to act over phone hacking has been well covered but I believe there was an equal scandal a decade ago with its timidity over the Daily Mirror share-tipping scandal.

"First of all, I consider the PCC should have stepped in long before the story broke about the tipping and purchase of Viglen shares. Even if there had been no buying of shares by Mirror journalists, the nature of the tipping in the Slickergate column was clearly open to abuse by unscrupulous City people to the detriment of Mirror readers."

He added: "When the Viglen scandal broke, there were three inquiries - the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), which prosecuted the "Slickers" but not the editor; an internal inquiry, about which the less said the better; and the PCC.

"There was, in my view, a "killer" email showing conclusively that the editor knew what was going on. This was given to the PCC as part of the evidence handed over yet still it did nothing. A shameful failure of responsibility and duty."

Trinity Mirror's lawyers, Herbert Smith, replied in a letter published on the Leveson inquiry website: "Mr Seymour makes a number of references to his time at the Daily Mirror. Although they have not had time to review each individual allegation in detail, senior executives of Trinity Mirror who were employed by the company during the same period as Mr Seymour can, from their own direct involvement, refute a number of Mr Seymour's allegations.

"Mr Seymour's that there was a 'killer email showing conclusively' that former editor of the Daily Mirror Piers Morgan 'knew what was going on' in respect of the City Slickers matter, is wrong.

"Trinity Mirror informs us that the existence of such an email was an 'urban myth' during the City Slickers saga. No such email was ever found despite a thorough investigation by the DTI - which included, inter alia, the seizure of a number of personal computer hard drives including those of Messrs Morgan, Hipwell and Bhoyrul.

"Of less significance but in our client's view illustrative of Mr Seymour’s poor memory, he refers to alleged inaction by the PCC in relation to a story concerning Zoe Ball when in fact the story concerned Sara Cox.

"Trinity Mirror therefore objects to Mr Seymour's statement being taken as read, as even on a limited reading it is not credible. If the inquiry is nevertheless minded to do so, we would ask this objection be recorded and submit that very little weight should be placed upon what Mr Seymour says."

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