Piers Morgan denies phone hacking at Leveson Inquiry

Piers Morgan was subject to some very aggressive questioning at the Leveson Inquiry yesterday

Piers Morgan denied any knowledge of phone hacking during the Leveson Inquiry yesterday.

The former Daily Mirror editor told the Inquiry that he 'had no reason or knowledge to believe it was going on' during his ten years at the paper.

He added: 'I would say the average editor is aware of 5% of what his journalists are up to at any given time on any newspaper.'

'But certainly all journalists knew they had to operate within the law. That was enshrined in their contracts of employment.'

Lord Justice Leveson went on to question Morgan about a voicemail left by Sir Paul McCartney for Heather Mills during the break down of their marriage, which Morgan has previously admitted to hearing.

The 46-year-old refused repeatedly to reveal who gave him access to the voicemail, saying that he wanted to protect his source. 

He defended his actions by saying: 'All we know for a fact about Lady Heather Mills McCartney is that in their divorce case Paul McCartney stated as a fact that she had recorded their conversations and given them to the media.'

And when asked about his opinion on a celebrity's right to privacy, Morgan said that he didn't feel they deserved it.

He said: 'I have very little sympathy with celebrities who sell their weddings for a million pounds - one of the most private days of their lives - and then expect to have privacy if they get caught having affairs.'

'They are the very last people who should be protected by privacy law.'

The Leveson Inquiry is an ongoing inquiry into the practices of the British press following on from the News International phone hacking scandal.

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