Coogan, Gascoigne win payouts in hacking case against News of the World

London - Steve Coogan and Paul Gascoigne were among a number of celebrity phone-hacking victims who settled their cases against the News of the World on Wednesday.

The bill for Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers is now running into millions, as 22 people, both stars and ordinary members of the public, became the latest to accept damages at London’s High Court.

UK red top newspaper admitted it hacked phones to listen in to voicemail messages and “blagged” personal details through impersonation.

The court heard that the 46-year-old comedian was placed under surveillance in May 2002 while staying at a London hotel and that private detective Glenn Mulcaire posed as him to get confidential information from Vodafone between 2003 and 2006.

Coogan and other celebrities were in court to hear that he would receive 40,000 pounds plus the legal fees.

Phone-hacking by the newspaper also caused the 44-year-old former England football star “mental harm and distress”, the court heard.

He was so convinced that the information published about him had come from his closest friends that he suffered a breakdown.

The newspaper agreed to pay him 68,000 pounds plus costs and apologised for the “seriously detrimental effect”.

“It has been a very stressful and time-consuming experience for me and for those close to me. This has never been about money,” the Daily Mail quoted Coogan as saying.