Church wins £600k hacking payout

Singer Charlotte Church and her parents settled her phone-hacking damages action for £600,000 (€710,000) at the High Court in London today.

Last week, lawyers for the 25-year-old and her parents, James and Maria, confirmed that terms had been agreed with News of the World publisher News Group Newspapers (NGN).

Miss Church was present at the London court for the reading of a statement resolving her claim that 33 articles in the now defunct Sunday newspaper were the product of hacking into her family’s voicemails.

The settlement includes £300,000 in legal costs and a public apology.

Church today said she was "sickened and disgusted'' after discovering her phone was hacked as she accepted the settlement at the High Court.