Steve Coogan Accepts Damages Payout Over Phone Hacking

Steve Coogan has accepted $64,000 (£40,000) in damagesover the News of the World phone hacking scandal.

The funnyman was targeted by a private investigator working for the now-defunct British tabloid and his cell phone voicemail messages were allegedly intercepted.

Coogan had been one of the leading lights in a campaign to expose practices at the Rupert Murdoch-owned Sunday newspaper, and on Wednesday (08Feb12) he was among a group of nine claimants who agreed a settlement with parent company News International.

Others stars involved in the case include former England soccer ace Paul Gascoigne, who accepted $108,800 (?68,000) in damages - but London's High Court heard singer Charlotte Church is still pursuing her legal action against the newspaper's owners.