UK police arrest 6 in new hacking probe
2013-02-14 19:52
London - British police arrested six former News of the
World journalists on Wednesday in a new probe into alleged phone hacking at
Rupert Murdoch's now-closed tabloid, Scotland Yard said.
Investigators had identified a "further suspected conspiracy"
at the paper in 2005 and 2006 that was separate to the alleged hacking under
which a number of people have already been charged, the police force said in a
statement.
Two of those arrested on Wednesday now work at the daily
tabloid The Sun, according to an internal memo by the chief executive of News
International, the British newspaper wing of Murdoch's US-based News Corporate
empire.
British media named the two Sun journalists as Rachel
Richardson and Jane Atkinson, and the other four as former News of the World
assistant editor Jules Stenson, former features editor Matt Nixson and former
showbiz editors Rav Singh and Polly Graham.
The News of the World closed in disgrace in 2011 amid
allegations that it had hacked the mobile phone voicemails of hundreds of
celebrities, politicians and victims of crime and terrorism.
"Detectives on Operation Weeting have identified a
further suspected conspiracy to intercept telephone voicemails by a number of
employees who worked for the now defunct News of the World newspaper,"
Scotland Yard said.
"As part of the new lines of inquiry six people were
arrested this morning on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept telephone
communications... All of them are journalists or former journalists."
Police said they arrested three men aged 46, 39 and 45,
two women aged 33 and 40 in London, and a 39-year-old woman in Cheshire,
northwest England. They were interviewed before five of them were released on
bail on Wednesday evening.
Searches were also carried out at a number of addresses.
"In due course officers will be making contact with
people they believe have been victims of the suspected voice mail
interceptions," police added.
News International declined to comment on the arrests.
But in an internal memo to staff, the company's chief executive, Mike Darcey,
said the two Sun staff members were being offered legal assistance, a source
told AFP.
Facing trial
Those already facing trial over hacking at the News of
the World include British Prime Minister David Cameron's ex-spokesperson Andy
Coulson and Rebekah Brooks, the former head of Murdoch's British newspaper
wing.
Operation Weeting was launched in January 2011 to
investigate a string of allegations over hacking at the weekly News of the
World, which was Britain's biggest selling newspaper until Murdoch dramatically
shut it down.
Since then News International has paid out millions of
pounds in damages to hacking victims.
Last week Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of Britain's Prince
Andrew, won undisclosed damages, as did singer James Blunt, Israeli entertainer
Uri Geller, and actor Hugh Grant.
Others to win damages over the past two years are actors
Jude Law and Sienna Miller, England footballer Ashley Cole and former deputy
prime minister John Prescott.
Two other police investigations sparked by the events at
the News of the World - into the bribery of public officials and the hacking of
e-mails - are also underway.
The scandal also prompted Cameron to launch a judicial
inquiry into press ethics-- the Levenson Inquiry - which in its conclusions
last year called for a new, tougher watchdog for the press, backed by
legislation.
A deal on the new regulator is nearing completion,
although it is likely to be overseen by a royal charter - a special document
used to establish and set out the terms of organisations including the BBC and
the Bank of England - rather than by law.
