20th October UPDATE
Look at the REAMS of positive public comments here. Fearful of exposure, this is why cowardly Liam Thorp stopped the public from commenting on his woeful, printed bilge:
My personal favourite of all these great comments is:
“I identify as a conspiracy theorist, my pronouns are Told You So…”
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/news-opinion/asked-people-sharing-conspiracy-theories-32697596
YOU’LL NOTICE HOW PUBLIC COMMENTS HAVE BEEN DISABLED.
We too are on Merseyside, but reply came there none …
The chequered history of Trinity Mirror (Mirror Group Newspapers or MGN), now known as Reach PLC, which is the Liverpool Echo and political editor Liam Thorp’s parent body.
Yes, the UK’s Daily Mirror was involved in the phone-hacking scandal. Trinity Mirror Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), the publisher of the Daily Mirror, admitted in 2018 that senior employees, including editors and executives, had “condoned, encouraged or actively turned a blind eye” to widespread phone hacking across its newspapers, including the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and Sunday People, over many years.
This admission followed a high court claim by actor Hugh Grant, who won damages after the publisher acknowledged the “industrial scale” of unlawful information-gathering activities.
Further evidence emerged in a 2023 High Court case involving Prince Harry, where Judge Timothy Fancourt ruled that editors, including former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan, knew about phone hacking and other unlawful information-gathering activities within the newsroom.
The judge found that such practices were “widespread” and “habitual” from 1998 onwards and that Morgan, during his tenure as editor from 1995 to 2004, was aware of these activities.
The court also accepted evidence that Morgan had knowledge of hacking, including incidents where he allegedly laughed while listening to a private voicemail from Paul McCartney.
MGN / Trinity Mirror has since settled hundreds of claims related to phone hacking, including those by Prince Harry, who was awarded damages after the court found he had been targeted.
The company has acknowledged historical wrongdoing and apologised unreservedly, paying compensation to victims.
As of November 2024, MGN / Trinity Mirror was facing 101 additional phone-hacking lawsuits, indicating the ongoing legal fallout from the scandal.
You raise a valid point. While the official reason for Trinity Mirror’s 2018 rebrand to Reach plc was to reflect its expanded media portfolio after acquiring the Daily Express and regional titles, the timing and context suggest the phone-hacking scandal played a significant role.
The company had recently admitted to “turning a blind eye” to phone hacking, set aside millions in compensation, and faced severe reputational damage. The rebrand followed the example of News International, which became News UK after its own hacking scandal.
Critics at the time viewed the name change as an attempt to distance the company from the tarnished “Mirror” brand. So while the company emphasised growth and digital reach, the move was widely seen as cynical reputation management—a way to leave the scandal behind under a new, sanitised identity.
Trinity Mirror (now Reach plc) admitted to widespread phone hacking, and numerous individuals have received compensation. While a complete list of all victims has not been publicly disclosed, the confirmed victims include:
Sadie Frost (actress) – awarded £260,250
Paul Gascoigne (former footballer) – awarded £188,250
Shane Richie (actor) – awarded £155,000
Shobna Gulati (actress) – awarded £117,500
Lucy Benjamin (actress)
Alan Yentob (BBC executive) – awarded £85,000
Lauren Alcorn (flight attendant, linked to Rio Ferdinand) – awarded £78,500
Robert Ashworth (TV producer) – awarded £201,250
Cilla Black (singer)
Darren Day (actor)
Jessie Wallace (actress)
Peter Andre (singer)
Sven-Göran Eriksson (former England football manager)
Christopher Eccleston (actor)
Abbie Gibson (Beckhams’ former nanny)
Over 70 additional high-profile individuals have filed claims, and Trinity Mirror set aside £28 million for legal costs and compensation. The full list remains partially confidential due to out-of-court settlements.
“Why did it change its name after being caught out as a criminal enterprise?”
Trinity Mirror changed its name to Reach plc in 2018, officially citing its evolution into a multi-platform media company and the acquisition of the Daily Express and Star newspapers as reasons for the rebrand. The new name was said to reflect its broader digital and regional reach.
However, the timing followed admissions of widespread phone hacking and mounting legal payouts—with over £70 million set aside for hacking-related claims. While the company did not state that the scandal directly prompted the name change, the rebrand occurred amid efforts to distance itself from a tarnished reputation and signal a new chapter.
This mirrors actions taken by News International, which rebranded as News UK after the News of the World hacking scandal.
Trinity Mirror’s leadership, particularly under Sly Bailey and legal director Paul Vickers, faced widespread criticism for denying phone hacking allegations for years, despite mounting evidence. They dismissed claims as “unsubstantiated rumours” and conducted a widely mocked internal review—sending letters to 44 senior editors asking if they knew of any wrongdoing, all of whom replied with “no issues.”
This was later exposed as a whitewash. When evidence emerged—particularly from whistleblower Dan Evans—the company was forced to admit liability. The public and media, including journalist Roy Greenslade, condemned the denial as cowardly and negligent, allowing a culture of illegal behaviour to persist unchecked.
In 2018, the High Court confirmed that editors and executives had condoned, encouraged, or turned a blind eye to phone hacking, with Piers Morgan found to have known about the practice. The company, by then renamed Reach plc, issued apologies and paid substantial damages, but the damage to its credibility remained.
WIIT comment: So, to put all this into a nutshell, Liverpool Echo political editor Liam Thorp’s employers were criminally depraved.
Liam Thorp has worked at Reach plc, formerly Trinity Mirror, since 2017.
He joined the Liverpool Echo in 2017 after previously serving as chief reporter at The Bolton News. Since then, he has been part of the Reach plc group, which rebranded from Trinity Mirror in 2018. Therefore, he has been with the organisation for 9 years as of January 2026.
Tina Weaver and Richard Wallace, former senior editors at the Sunday Mirror, were directly involved in phone hacking operations, with evidence showing they instructed and were aware of the activities.
Dan Evans, a journalist at the Sunday Mirror, was the primary phone hacker, responsible for hacking hundreds of voicemails and later admitting to two counts of phone hacking.
Sly Bailey, Trinity Mirror’s chief executive from 2003 to 2012, was found by a judge to have known about or turned a blind eye to the hacking.
Mark Thomas, former deputy editor of the Sunday Mirror and later editor of the People, was also implicated in the unlawful activities.
James Scott, former Sunday Mirror deputy editor, and Nick Buckley, former deputy People editor, were arrested and linked to the hacking.
Richard Spearman, acting for the Mirror, argued that executives could not have stopped the hacking, but the court found that the company’s leadership failed to act despite knowing of widespread misconduct.
What happened to the phone hackers?
Dan Evans was found guilty of phone hacking, making illegal payments to officials, and perverting the course of justice. He received a 10-month suspended sentence, meaning he did not serve active prison time.
Graham Johnson, a former Sunday Mirror investigations editor, became the first Mirror Group Newspapers journalist to admit to phone hacking when he pleaded guilty in 2014. However, the provided results do not specify whether he was sentenced to prison.
Among the individuals listed in the original query:
Tina Weaver, Richard Wallace, Sly Bailey, Mark Thomas, James Scott, Nick Buckley, and Richard Spearman were not found guilty or sent to prison based on the available information.
Weaver, Thomas, Scott, and Buckley were arrested in 2013 but not charged.
Tina Weaver: Appointed Chief Executive of the charity Wellbeing of Women from 2016 to 2018. No recent public role is documented after that.
Richard Wallace: As of 2023, he is the head of TV at News UK and boss of Piers Morgan at TalkTV, overseeing Morgan’s broadcasting operations.
Dan Evans: Former Sunday Mirror reporter; no current role is publicly known. He gave evidence in a 2023 lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers but has not held a public editorial position recently.
Sly Bailey: Former CEO of Trinity Mirror (now Reach PLC) until 2012. She later served as CEO of Birmingham Zoo and held roles in media and publishing, but no current executive role is widely reported.
Mark Thomas: Former deputy editor of the Sunday Mirror and editor of The People. No recent public role is documented.
James Scott: Former editor of The People. No current public position is known after his involvement in the 2013 phone-hacking investigation.
Nick Buckley: Former deputy editor of The People and head of content at the Sunday Mirror. No recent public role is available.
Richard Spearman: No information found linking him to any current or past role at Reach PLC or in the media industry.
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