**ELTON JOHN TESTIFIES IN HIGH COURT: DAILY MAIL HACKING ALLEGATIONS 'OUTSIDE EVEN THE MOST BASIC STANDARDS OF HUMAN DECENCY'**

Rock legend Elton John took to the stand in London's High Court on Friday, expressing his outrage over allegations that his landline phones were bugged by the Daily Mail. The singer, known for hits like "Rocket Man" and "Your Song", is suing Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail, alongside his husband David Furnish, Prince Harry, and four others, alleging widespread privacy intrusions.

Elton John, appearing via video link due to his poor eyesight, stated that he was incensed when he learned of the allegations through a close friend, actress Elizabeth Hurley. Hurley had been informed by a private investigator that John's landline phones had been bugged during her stay with him after the birth of her son.

"When we realized the seriousness of what had happened... We were outraged," John said, emphasizing his disgust at the alleged actions of the Daily Mail. The singer, who has sold over 300 million records throughout his six-decade career, explained that he did not own a mobile phone and that Hurley's stay with him was the only time his landline phones were allegedly hacked.

John maintained that he had never been afraid to speak out against what he believed was injustice by the British press. "My friends do not talk to the press, and that is why they are still my friends," he said in response to questions from Associated's lawyer Catrin Evans about potential sources of information for the Daily Mail articles.

Evans questioned John about specific articles published between 2002 and 2015, suggesting that information may have come from his spokesperson or other lawful sources. However, John dismissed these claims, accusing Evans of "clutching at straws" and failing to address the gravity of the Daily Mail's alleged actions.

One of the articles that John and Furnish complain about relates to a 2010 article about their decision to have a child through surrogacy. The couple alleges that the Daily Mail obtained a copy of their son Zachary's birth certificate before they did, which John described as "abhorrent" and "outside even the most basic standards of human decency".

The trial is set to conclude next month, with John being the last of the seven claimants to give evidence. Associated Newspapers has denied allegations of phone hacking and other unlawful acts, stating that their newspapers' stories were based on information already in the public domain or obtained from legitimate sources.