Murdoch's Scum Credentials All In Order I See

[RoboRiise]

Families of 7/7 victims 'were targets of phone hacking'

James Robinson, Amelia Hill, Sam Jones, Nick Davies and Dan Sabbagh

The Guardian, Wednesday 6 July 2011

 

 

New revelation deepens crisis at News of the World after it emerges that officers will review child murder cases

 

The phone-hacking crisis enveloping the News of the World intensified on Tuesday night after it emerged that Scotland Yard has started to contact the relatives of victims of the 7 July 2005 attacks to warn them they were targeted by the paper.

 

The revelation that bereaved family members may have had their mobile phone messages intercepted by Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator employed by the paper, in the days following the 2005 London bombings will heap further pressure on the title's owner, News International, part of Rupert Murdoch's media empire.

 

Graham Foulkes, whose son David was killed in the attack at Edgware Road tube station, confirmed that he had been contacted by officers from Operation Weeting, the Met's investigation into phone hacking. He said they had told him his mobile phone number, ex-directory landline number and address had been found in records made by Mulcaire that were recovered from the investigator's office in south London.

 

Foulkes's solicitor, Clifford Tibber, who represents several families who had relatives killed in the terrorist attack, said the news had "come as a terrible shock" to them as they prepared to mark the sixth anniversary of the bombings this week.

 

The news capped a dramatic day of unfolding developments in the News of the World phone-hacking scandal.

 

Police officers are turning their attention to examine every high-profile case involving the murder, abduction or attack on any child since 2001 – in response to the revelation that journalists from the tabloid newspaper hacked into the voicemail messages of the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.

 

Officers have already told the parents of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, the girls killed in Soham in 2002 by Ian Huntley, that their mobiles had been hacked. Documents seized by the Metropolitan police in a 2006 raid on Mulcaire's home show he targeted Leslie Chapman, the father of Jessica Chapman.

 

It is understood the name "Greg" appeared in the corner of notes taken by Mulcaire – believed to be a reference to the News of the World's former assistant editor (news) Greg Miskiw. It is thought that parents of Holly Wells, were also targeted.

 

The move is a direct response to the Guardian's exclusive story on Monday that Mulcaire caused Milly's parents to wrongly believe she was still alive – and interfered with police inquiries into her disappearance – by hacking into the teenager's mobile phone and deleting messages.

 

On Tuesday night it also emerged that News International had given the Metropolitan police details of payments made by News of the World to senior police officers between 2003 and 2007, the period when Andy Coulson was the paper's editor.

 

The development brings the crisis closer to the door of prime minister David Cameron who appointed Coulson as his director of communications when in opposition and then staunchly defended him until Coulson quit in January 2011.

 

News International said on Tuesday night: "As a result of media enquiries, it is correct to state that new information has recently been provided to the police. As News International and News Group Newspapers has reiterated many times, full and continuing cooperation has been provided to the police since the current investigation started in January 2011. Well understood arrangements are in place to ensure that any material of importance to which they are entitled is provided to them. We cannot comment any further due to the ongoing investigations."

 

The revelation also suggests there is now a breaking of ranks inside News International since the files on payments to the police are unlikely to have emerged only yesterday, but instead were released to the police as senior executives said the paper could no longer continue to cover up the scale of the wrong doing at the paper.

 

Pointedly, News International insisted on Tuesday night that the payments to the police did not relate to the period from 2000-2003, when Rebekah Brooks was the paper's editor. Commentators suggested that was a way for the company to deflect the blame on to Coulson.

 

Pressure has intensified on the newspaper and Brooks – now News International chief executive – who insisted she knew nothing of the Dowler hacking allegations. She edited the News of the World at the time the hacking of Dowler's phone messages took place. On Tuesday night, former News of the World journalist Paul McMullan claimed on BBC Newsnight that Brooks was aware of the phone hacking. Asked if his former editor knew of the activities, he said: "Of course she did."

 

McMullen, who made similar claims in a conversation that was secretly by taped by actor Hugh Grant earlier this year, described the hacking of Dowler's phone as "not such a big deal".

 

He said: "The journalists might have helped. The mistake that was made was that [Mulcaire] was so keen to get new messages he deleted the old ones."

 

The case of Madeleine McCann is expected to be one of the first to be re-examined by detectives.

 

Clarence Mitchell, Kate and Gerry McCann's spokesman, said he had been interviewed and was due to be interviewed a second time.

 

Another case likely to be re-examined is that of 15-year-old Danielle Jones, who was abducted and murdered in East Tilbury, Essex, in 2001 by her uncle.

 

Police officers will trawl through their collection of 11,000 pages of notes kept by Mulcaire, and seized from him in 2006, when he and the News of the World's royal editor, Clive Goodman, were jailed for hacking into mobile phones belonging to aides to Prince William and Harry.

 

Mulcaire issued a public apology on Tuesday to all those hurt or upset by his activities, saying that after the developments of the past 24 hours he had to "break his silence". He said: "I want to apologise to anybody who was hurt or upset by what I have done. I've been to court. I've pleaded guilty. And I've gone to prison and been punished. I still face the possibility of further criminal prosecution.

 

"Working for the News of the World was never easy. There was relentless pressure. There was a constant demand for results. I knew what we did pushed the limits ethically. But, at the time, I didn't understand that I had broken the law at all."

 

The media regulator, Ofcom, is understood to be ready to examine whether News Corporation directors would be "fit and proper persons" to own BSkyB – if any senior employees at News Corporation or its UK arm, News International, were charged with hacking-related offences.

 

Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is closing in on winning regulatory approval for its proposed £8bn-plus takeover of the 61% of BSkyB it does not own. Sources close to the culture secretary Jeremy Hunt, who will decide on the issue, insisted he could not take phone hacking into account in the decision that is focused on "media plurality".

 

Meanwhile a string of high-profile companies – including Ford, npower, Halifax, T-Mobile and Orange – said they would be reviewing or withdrawing their advertising in the News of the World. Those five brands are estimated to account for more than £2m worth of advertising in the tabloid in the past year. T-Mobile and Orange are thought to have spent an estimated £1.5m between them.

 

Ford said it would be using "alternative media within and outside News International Group instead of placing Ford advertising in the News of the World" while it awaited the outcome of an internal investigation.

 

The company added: "Ford is a company which cares about the standards of behaviour of its own people and those it deals with externally."

 

Calls for boycotts of the News of the World appeared on Twitter and Facebook, and companies came under sustained pressure to pull their advertising from it.

 

Those wishing to direct their fury at the firms who advertise through the News of the World were provided with a one-stop page where they could automatically tweet their concerns to companies such as the Co-operative, easyJet, Butlins and Renault. Others went further, and calling for direct boycotts of the firms unless they took their advertising money elsewhere.

 

John Bercow, the speaker of Commons, granted a debate – which will happen on Wednesday – into calls for a public inquiry into phone hacking by News International journalists, and whether there was a potential cover-up by its senior executives.

 

Ministers in the Commons opposed the emergency debate but, in what will be seen as another show of force by Bercow, he accepted arguments in favour put by the Labour MP Chris Bryant.

 

The Labour leader, Ed Miliband, said Brooks needed to "examine her conscience" and that he was sure that she would because "this happened on her watch".

 

Although his words were Labour's strongest intervention so far on the phone-hacking crisis, the party is still undecided about whether to put forward a substantive motion calling for a public inquiry that could be subject to a vote or amendment.

 

Media regulator Ofcom is understood to be standing by ready to examine whether News Corporation directors would be "fit and proper persons" to own BSkyB – if any senior employees at News Corporation or its UK arm News International were charged with any hacking related offences. Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is closing in on winning regulatory approval for its proposed £8bn-plus takeover of the 61% of BSkyB it does not own – with sources close to the deciding minister, culture secretary Jeremy Hunt, insisting again that he could not take phone hacking into account of a decision that is focused on "media plurality".

 

Channel 4 News reported that Brooks was confronted by the Met in 2002 about the fact a senior detective investigating the murder of a private investigator, Daniel Morgan, was targeted by Mulcaire on behalf of the News of the World. The main suspect in the case, which was being led by Detective Superintendent David Cook, was a man with close links to the News of the World.

 

Cook and his wife, Jackie Haines, were told by Scotland Yard in April this year their mobile phone numbers and payroll details had been found in Mulcaire's notebook. News International said it could not confirm or deny whether Brooks had ever attended such a meeting.

 

Lady Buscombe, the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, said she was lied to by the News of the World over phone hacking.

 

"There's only so much we can do when people are lying to us. We know now that I was not being given the truth by the News of the World," she told the BBC's Daily Politics.

 

Brooks emailed employees at News International on Tuesday to insist she knew nothing about phone hacking: "It is inconceivable that I knew or worse, sanctioned these appalling allegations. I am aware of the speculation about my position.

 

"Therefore it is important you all know that as chief executive, I am determined to lead the company to ensure we do the right thing and resolve these serious issues."

 

The paragraph that I've highlighted is the telling one because in order to have an attitude so blase about something that most of us find so reprehensible, this must be absolutely endemic in the industry to the point where it's become tacitly acknowledged as accepted practice.

 

If Brooks had even one scrap of decency, she'd have walked already because she is in this up to her tits but instead they're going to hang Coulson out to dry. Although he richly deserves it (and I took some small pleasure in seeing Cameron squirm today, I was dying for someone to scream out "but that's why you hired him Dave" in the middle of his hypocritical banalities) that Sideshow Bob-looking cunt needs to get hers as well.

 

"It is inconceivable that I knew or worse, sanctioned these appalling allegations."

 

Millie Dowler went missing in March 2002, her body was found in September 2002, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were murdered in August 2002 and you, Rebekah were the editor of the fucking newspaper at that time, so even if that statement is true it means you're merely guilty of one of the worst failures of oversight in the history of journalism - hardly a good attribute for the Chief Exec of one of the world's largest media companies.

 

Glenn Mulcaire is better still:

 

"Working for the News of the World was never easy. There was relentless pressure. There was a constant demand for results. I knew what we did pushed the limits ethically. But, at the time, I didn't understand that I had broken the law at all."

 

OK so let me be clear on this - you interfered with evidence in what was at the time a case of suspected child abduction and ultimately became a murder investigation and you didn't understand at all that this was illegal? And you're an investigator? I'm expected to believe this nonsense? Oh and yes you did do time Glenn, but not for that so I really hope you're back in court soon.

 

 

Keep in mind though - 2006 some of this material was siezed, This has been known about for five years, just how much hushing up has gone on here?

[sparta7]

"Working for the News of the World was never easy. There was relentless pressure. There was a constant demand for results. I knew what we did pushed the limits ethically. But, at the time, I didn't understand that I had broken the law at all."

 

And the fact that you were fucking with the emotions of a murdered childs parents, that you were invading the privacy of people enduring their darkest days, immersed in grief the scale of which you couldnt imagine, didnt occur to you?

 

Take whats coming to you, you deserve it, you utter twat.

[clangers]

Nice to see that News International have amazingly managed to find emails linking Coulson to the police just at the time all this is hitting the fan. Funnily enough what about emails from Brooks pre-2003? Why are the police not landing on News International seizing computers etc and why are News International being allowed to investigate their own staff and former staff?

 

Still it does look like this is about to land on Camerons door well and truely.

[WaltonRed]

Clangers is spot on.

 

The shits going to hit the fan big time. This is fucking massive.

 

Murdoch will shit on Brooks and Coulsen now from a massive height.

 

I think they'll of stooped even lower

[melons]

Does anyone think anything will actually be done? It'll all be a show piece for those in power, certain people will be made scape goats and that'll be that. Where the impact will take place depends on the broader public's moral convictions. We all know what they've done is wrong, but how far are the public in general prepared to go to make a point of saying what they've done is wrong, as soon as it involves any level of inconvenience for themselves they swerve the point. The public in general are so easily bought it's painful.

[WaltonRed]

Coulsen and Brooks will pay and then sadly you are right Melons, people will just forget it even happened

[Vim Fuego]

From what's been said in the likes of The Guardian Brooks is being protected, you'll see a whole stream of journo's and middle management go to stop her losing her job.

Unless airtight, 100000000% red handed type evidence comes out she'll hang in there. Quite funny that Coulsen is being pushed out as the sacrificial offering not that it'll affect Cameron.

[WaltonRed]

I think we'll see that some Police officers have been paid off to either turn a blind eye or make sure they've not investigated as deeply as they should.

 

The establishment is about to be rocked.

[setreal]

Words just fail me over this, disgust doesnt even come close. What an absolute bunch of complete and utter fucking cunts. I wish I could contribute to the debate in a reasoned way, but just when I thought I had a handle on just how amoral the tabloids could be they take complete disregard for people and absolute moral bankruptcy to a level I didnt think possible. Fuck 'em. Fuck 'em to hell and back.

 

Yes, but the readers are to blame, don't you know.

[lifetime fan]

I think we'll see that some Police officers have been paid off to either turn a blind eye or make sure they've not investigated as deeply as they should.

 

The establishment is about to be rocked.

 

No fucking chance.

 

It should be of course, but lets be realistic.

[Randy Marsh]

The sad thing is that come Sunday the simple neanderthals that pollute this country will still be buying the rag in their droves. That's all that matters to Murdoch.

[L19red]

From what's been said in the likes of The Guardian Brooks is being protected, you'll see a whole stream of journo's and middle management go to stop her losing her job.

Unless airtight, 100000000% red handed type evidence comes out she'll hang in there. Quite funny that Coulsen is being pushed out as the sacrificial offering not that it'll affect Cameron.

 

considering how strongly the NI group papers condemed sharon shoesmith for being asleep at the wheel in the baby P case then they can't surely hope to maintain the position that Brooks didnt know what was going on as a credible defense?

[clangers]

The sad thing is that come Sunday the simple neanderthals that pollute this country will still be buying the rag in their droves. That's all that matters to Murdoch.

 

Yep that's exactly what the establishment count on, the 'masses' attention span is about 30 seconds not that they really cared in the first place. Wouldn't surprise me to see a few major celebrity scandals hit the tabloids over the next few days to distract them. After all what Cherly is doing at the moment is far more important than a scandal revealing the true nature of the corrupt establishment running the country into the ground.

 

The most revealing aspect is the complete lack of coverage given by the tabloids. They're all at it.

[William_Ulsterman]

Shit runs uphill in this case. Murdock funding the tories, Coulsen getting hand picked for cushy No10 Job. Tories reward Murdock with merger...

 

Utter cunts the lot of them. I cant wait to see what sort of shit the monkeys start flinging at each other. The Police taking money is just the start.

 

I swear to fuck if he gets all of Sky i'm cancelling, fuck it i'm cancelling anyway.

[WaltonRed]

You say that and I think it was correct on the celebs like Sienna and andy grey but doing it to kids families after they've been murdered is beyond the pale for even the biggest mong

[Randy Marsh]

Yep that's exactly what the establishment count on, the 'masses' attention span is about 30 seconds not that they really cared in the first place. Wouldn't surprise me to see a few major celebrity scandals hit the tabloids over the next few days to distract them. After all what Cherly is doing at the moment is far more important than a scandal revealing the true nature of the corrupt establishment running the country into the ground.

 

The most revealing aspect is the complete lack of coverage given by the tabloids. They're all at it.

 

They don't give a shite. We've looked at loads of different cases in the Media Law module of my degree this year. Time and time again they will break the law, be in contempt of court, break privacy laws and so on, but a paltry fine from OFCOM and an order to print a six line apology on the 17th page offers little deterrent when the newspaper will be raking in millions from going to print with it in the first place. These allegations are on a whole different level admittedly, but let's just wait and see what the eventual repercussions will be. I predict they'll be thoroughly underwhelming.

[clangers]

They don't give a shite. We've looked at loads of different cases in the Media Law module of my degree this year. Time and time again they will break the law, be in contempt of court, break privacy laws and so on, but a paltry fine from OFCOM and an order to print a six line apology on the 17th page offers little deterrent when the newspaper will be raking in millions from going to print with it in the first place. These allegations are on a whole different level admittedly, but let's just wait and see what the eventual repercussions will be. I predict they'll be thoroughly underwhelming.

 

Couldn't have put it better myself. What I think is most likely is that Coulson and then eventually Brooks will be sacrificed. News International will then get it's merger. Any demand for a public enquiry will be stonewalled. Carry on as usual.

[Vim Fuego]

considering how strongly the NI group papers condemed sharon shoesmith for being asleep at the wheel in the baby P case then they can't surely hope to maintain the position that Brooks didnt know what was going on as a credible defense?

 

Anywhere else in the real world if you'd of either been so oblivious that you didn't know what your employees were doing or you were encouraging criminal, brain snappingly insensitive behaviour by them then you'd expect to go. Murdoch's apparently firmly on her side and I think it'd take a huge financial hit from loss of advertisers and paper sales for her to get bounced, I hope that's not the case and she goes now but I'm a touch cynical about it all.

[sparta7]

. Murdoch's apparently firmly on her side and I think it'd take a huge financial hit from loss of advertisers and paper sales for her to get bounced, I hope that's not the case and she goes now but I'm a touch cynical about it all.

 

On the contrary, I dont want her to go at a time of her choosing, I'd like her to be fired and leave under a planet sized cloud having presided over this appalling episode.

[Paulie Dangerously]

Am I the only person thinking that this may have been common knowledge with the other paper who are now crucifying a rival? Just seems like a lot of stories appearing almost immediately after the Milly allegation

[Vim Fuego]

Am I the only person thinking that this may have been common knowledge with the other paper who are now crucifying a rival? Just seems like a lot of stories appearing almost immediately after the Milly allegation

 

I'm sure it's a pure coincidence that the consultation period for the Sky buy out ends this Friday and these stories have come out.

[Whelan]

The establishment, and by that I mean the politicians are shit scared of NI, and Murdoch (whether or not this is correct is a different debate), however they have the public on their side at the moment, and anger is focussed and directed firmly at a particular paper. I think they may seize this moment, Ed Milliband who had previously been advised to stear clear of this, has been quite direct.

 

You can't attack other media organisations and then expect solidarity, the BBC are rightly loving this, as are ITN and Channel 4, as well as the other Newspapers, the tabloids are steering clear because they have all done it, I think.

 

Sometimes it is not about being brave, but simply a case of choosing the right time to attack!

 

Halifax have joined Ford, and others will follow.

 

And the point about Baby P is a really good point.

[Sugar Ape]

She'll probably go, sit quiet for 6 months, and then be appointed to another job in news Corp. Maybe fox news or the like. Just like that other reprehensible cunt Mackenzie, she'll find work again. I'm sure Murdoch will look after her.

 

There will be no help from Cameron and his lackeys like Hunt. I expect the general public to be completely discombobulated by the government and police.

[PestiRed]

Cameron is doing absolutely everything he can to avoid using the word "judicial" alongside "inquiry" whilst pretending he isn't.

[dennis tooth]

Brooks has probably got dirt on Cameron you'd think, no wonder he's trying to defend her.