A 30-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested as part of investigations into phone hacking. He is the 15th person held since a wide-ranging inquiry into criminality at Rupert Murdoch's News of the World began early this year.
An official at News International, the parent company of the now-shuttered News of the World, identified the man as Ross Hall, a former reporter.
A police statement said the man was arrested by appointment on Friday afternoon, ''on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept voicemail messages'' and obstructing justice, as part of Operation Weeting, the investigation focused particularly on phone hacking.
Advertisement: Story continues below
The arrest came as the phone hacking scandal looks set to resume the steady pace of revelations that had struck the heart of the British media, politics and policing in recent months.
On Tuesday, a day after MPs return from their summer recess, the House of Commons will call several former executives from News of the World and News International, including the former editor of the tabloid, Colin Myler, and the company's former legal manager, Tom Crone, to give evidence.
The main issue is whether James Murdoch, head of News Corp's European and Asian businesses, knew phone hacking was more widespread than acknowledged when he chose to make a record $US1.4 million settlement in a 2008 lawsuit brought by soccer union leader Gordon Taylor, which alleged voicemail interceptions. That settlement included a confidentiality clause.
Evidence indicating that at least one other reporter was involved in phone hacking would likely have become public had the case proceeded, and undermined the company's assertion the hacking was limited to ''a lone rogue reporter''.
0 comments:
Post a Comment