Key Figure in the Duke of Sussex Legal Action Alleges Confession Was Untrue

A private investigator central to the lawsuit initiated by Prince Harry and several claimants targeting the publisher of the Daily Mail has asserted his autograph on an earlier testimonial document was a “forgery”, the superior court has heard.

The investigator, connected to the most severe claims of illegal data collection made by seven well-known personalities including the music icon and the activist, retracted his purported confession, saying it was “entirely untrue”.

Context of the Purported Statement

Burrows had reportedly stated in a testimonial from 2021 that he and his team gathered information by hacking voicemails, monitoring home telephones and placing listening devices in automobiles. He also allegedly said he had worked on behalf of the Sunday publication.

The media company is accused by the claimants of conducting or hiring for illegal acts such as hiring PIs to install listening devices inside cars, deceptively obtaining confidential documents and gaining entry to personal discussions. The company denies the accusations and is contesting the case.

Retraction and Fresh Claims

Five of the individuals have told the court they initiated the legal action against the publisher based on evidence seemingly gathered by the investigator.

The witness had earlier withdrawn his supposed testimony in last year. In a fresh lengthy testimonial document made on 25 September 2025, and disclosed by the high court on Tuesday, he restated his disavowal, declaring he had at no time engaged in any unlawful act on behalf of the company.

In the recent statement, he claimed he did “not recognise” the alleged testimonial on 16 August 2021”. He claimed he was of the opinion it was “created by third parties”, that the autograph is not mine”, and did dispute the accuracy of a great deal of the information”.

Burrows declared: “I do not recognise the prior witness statement of that date and I believe that my signature on that document is a fabrication. A lot of it is not written in my usual wording. Additionally, the details of the testimony are largely untrue.”

He stated further that he had “at no time” performed operations for the Sunday paper or the Daily Mail, apart from one task involving Sir Richard Branson that “did not involve any illegal activity”.

Circumstances of the Initial Statement

The witness claimed he was on heavy medication after a serious beating, and drinking heavily, when he was reached out to by a former journalist, a informant convicted of voicemail interception, who sought assistance with investigation on accusations of spying against newspapers.

He was referred to a colleague, Dan Waddell, who was identified as a “paralegal” and was remunerated a sum a session for counsel.

His statement claimed he was told lawsuits against newspapers were likely to resolve out of court, as the outlets did not want the publicity or cost of a trial, and were portrayed to him as a “ideal scheme” and a “lucrative opportunity”.

The investigator, who claimed he had ceased working for publications in 2003, stated he had stated to Johnson on numerous occasions that the company were not one of my employers”.

Present Court Situation

The witness was initially a witness for the claimants, which additionally comprises Simon Hughes and several individuals, but is now the subject of legal arguments about if he will be summoned as a witness for the trial.

Antony White KC, for the defendant, requested the court to authorize him to cross-examine Burrows, while another barrister, for the claimants, made an application to treat his evidence as secondhand information.

The presiding officer allowed Sherborne seven days to determine whether he desired to request a witness summons to summon Burrows, and advised him if the witness provided testimony that was inconsistent with the evidence they had obtained, then he could request to consider him as “hostile”.

A additional court session in the legal action is anticipated to occur before the close of the calendar.