UK's top court refuses Trinity Mirror appeal over hacking charges

LONDON, March 23 (Reuters) - Britain's Supreme Court has rejected an attempt by Trinity Mirror (LSE: TNI.L - news) to reduce the amount of compensation it must pay eight people who had their phones hacked by staff working for the newspaper group.

Trinity (HKSE: 0891-OL.HK - news) , which publishes the Daily Mirror tabloid, had sought permission to appeal an earlier ruling ordering it to pay 1.2 million pounds ($1.7 million) in damages to victims, a much higher sum than those awarded to other claimants in earlier settlements.

The Supreme Court said on Wednesday it had refused Trinity's appeal. "The Court ordered that permission to appeal be refused because the application does not raise an arguable point of law," it said. ($1 = 0.7060 pounds) (Reporting by Kate Holton, editing by Estelle Shirbon)