NoW scandal phone tapping.docx

NoW scandal phone tapping.docx

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NoWscandalphonetapping

Royals&redtops:

Insidestoryofthe'NewsoftheWorld'phonetappingscandal

Thestorydoesnotendwiththejailingofareporterandtheresignationofhiseditor.AsRupertMurdochmixeswiththegreatandgoodinDavos,otherswithinhisorganisationmayhavecausetoconsidertheconsequencesofthecase.ByFrancisElliottandColeMoreton

Published:

 28January2007

HowmuchdidRupertMurdochknowabouttheillegaltacticshisbiggest-sellingBritishtabloidwasusingtotaproyalphones?

Asthemediabarondealswiththeembarrassmentofyetanotherscandalinhisempirethisweekend,thePressComplaintsCommissionispreparingtopressonwithitsinvestigationintowhoexactlyknewwhattheroyalreporteroftheNewsoftheWorldwasdoing.

WhileCliveGoodmanbeganafour-monthprisonsentenceyesterday,MrMurdochwasfacingthebusinessandpoliticaleliteoftheworldinDavos,Switzerland,knowinghiscompanyNewsInternationalwasagaininturmoil.MPsherearecallingforathoroughinquiryandtoughaction.AndthePCC,self-regulatorforthepress,isaskingwhichseniorexecutiveswereawareofpaymentsmadetoaninvestigatorwhospecialisedinillegaleavesdropping.

Goodmanwasconvictedof"intrusive,sustainedandcriminalconduct"attheOldBaileyonFriday.GlennMulcaire,theinvestigator,wasimprisonedforsixmonths.Thepairhadmademorethan600callstointerceptvoicemailmessagesrelatingtomembersoftheRoyalFamilyandotherhigh-profilefigures.

AndyCoulson,theNoWeditor,hasalwayssaidheknewnothingaboutthebuggingbutquitaftertheverdict,sayinghewastaking"ultimateresponsibility".HisresignationisunlikelytosatisfythePCC,whoseinquirywassuspendedduringthecourtcase.InsiderspredictitwillnowresumeanddemanddetailedanswersfromNewsInternational."Thelevelofangeraboutthisandthenumberoflooseendsaresuch,"saidasource,"thatitwouldbesurprisingifthewholethingwassimplydropped."

JohnWhittingdale,chairmanoftheSelectCommitteeonCulture,MediaandSport,confirmedyesterdaythatit,too,wasconsideringaninquiry."ThishasbeenthemostseriousbreachofthePCCcode.Itmustcarryoutafullandthoroughinvestigationintowhathappened...atalllevelsofthisnewsorganisation."

ForMrMurdoch,thetimingofFriday'ssentencingattheOldBaileycouldhardlyhavebeenworse.Asthemediamagnatesharedaplatformwithprime-ministerelectGordonBrownandotherdecisionmakersatDavos,thejudgeinLondonwaslayingintohistabloid's"unattractive"and"reprehensible"tactics.

ThefirstmostpeopleatWappingsaytheyknewaboutitwaswhenCliveGoodmanwasarrestedon8Augustlastyear,andhisofficeraided.Shortlyafterwards,hisboss,MrCoulson,wascalledintoameetingwithMrMurdochandLesHinton,executivechairmanofNewsInternational（andchairofthecommitteethatoverseesthePCC'scodeofpractice）.Theeditorwaseffectivelyputonprobation.Hisformalresignationwasacceptedafortnightago,butthiswaskeptsecret."Weareallshakenbywhathashappened,"saidoneseniorexecutiveatWappingyesterday."Ifyouareasking,isthistheproudestmomentinthe163-yearhistoryoftheNewsoftheWorldthenno,clearlyit'snot."

Buthehadfewfearsforhis39-year-oldformercolleague,whonotlongagowasbeingtippedasafutureeditorofTheSun."IhavenodoubtAndywillreappearatahigh-levelpositioninthemedia-althoughmaybenothere-withinmonths."OnTuesdayhisreplacementwillarrive:

theformerSundayMirroreditor-andfriendofMrHinton-ColinMyler.

ThosewhoworkfortheredtopsknowonlytoowellthepressuresthatledGoodmantoturntoaprivateinvestigatorforhelp.ThereportermadehisreputationwithaseriesofexclusivesaboutPrincessDiana,buthisstockfellafterherdeath.Byearly2005hewasconsideredbyhisbossestobenolongercomingupwiththerightstories.Colleaguesintheofficegavehimthenickname"theeternalflame",becauseheneverwentout.WhenhewassidelinedbytheappointmentofayoungerreportertocovertheRoyalFamily,Goodmanbecamedesperate.HecalledMulcaire,aprivateinvestigatorwhocouldgivehimaccesstothevoicemailmessagesofthoseclosesttotheroyals.

TheirtargetswereHelenAsprey,whoworksforthePrinceofWales;PaddyHarverson,communicationssecretarytoPrinceCharles;andJamieLowther-Pinkerton,privatesecretarytoPrinceHarryandPrinceWilliam.Goodmanknewitwas"improper,unethicalandreprehensible"tohackintothesemessages,saidhisQC,buthe"didnotknowitamountedtoacriminaloffence".

Listeningtootherpeople'svoicemailcanbeeasy.Mobileuserscangettheirmessagesremotelybyringingtheirownnumberandtypinginasecuritycode.Inmanycasestheydonotbothertochangethecode,andleaveitasthedefaultsetting.Thisisoften4444orsomethingsimplethatahackercanguess.

Evenwhenusersdochangetheircodeitcanbebroken,asMulcaireknew.TheprosecutionsaidtherewasevidencethatheposedasacreditcontrollerandgottelephonecompaniestoswitchPINcodesbacktothedefault.Italsosuggestedthathegotholdofsecretpasswordsthatsecuritystaffattelephonecompaniesusetoidentifythemselvestocolleagues.ThiswouldhaveenabledhimtoringupthecompanythatprovidesamobilephonetoHelenAsprey,say,andposeassomeoneworkingonheraccount.

AfterquotingthesecuritypasswordhewouldbegivenaPINthatcouldbeusedtoopenupthevoicemailfilesforMsAsprey,orwhoever.Thenhecoulddialhermobilenumber,tapinthecode,andlistentohermessages.SomemaybefromPrinceCharles,orhissons,aboutsensitiveissues.

Mulcairemade122callstothemobilenumbersofthethreeroyalaides.HealsosentPINcodesintextmessagestoGoodman,whomade487calls.SomewerefromhishomeinPutney,southLondon,andsomefromtheofficesoftheNewsoftheWorld.

ThenewspaperpaidMulcairearetainerof£2,019aweekfor"researchandinformationservices"andhealsoearnedanextra£12,300forstoriesaboutPrinceHarry,hisgirlfriendandtheDuchessofYork.Thiswaspaidincashin£500instalments,butitisunclearwhetherGoodmantoldhisbosseswhatthismoneywasfor.

Thecallsforwhichthemenwereprosecutedbeganon1November2005.Fivedayslater,PrinceWilliamsuspectedsomethingwhenhereadinGoodman'sNewsoftheWorldcolumnthathehadhurthiskneeandwouldhavetoputoffamountain-rescuecourse.TheiteminGoodman'sBlackaddercolumnsaidhehad"pulledatendoninhisknee"playingfootball.Theprincewaspuzzled-onlyhe,hisprivatesecretaryandhiskneesurgeonknewofthis.MrLowther-Pinkerton,thesecretary,isaformerSASofficerdeeplytrustedbytheprince.Thesurgeonwasjudgedjustasunlikelytohavetoldanyone.

Aweeklater,thesamecolumnclaimedthatWilliamhadbeenlentbroadcastingequipmentbyTomBradby,politicaleditorofITVNews,sothathecouldedithisgapyearvideosinto"oneveryposhhomemovie".ButPrinceWilliamandMrBradbyhadnotyetmet.Whentheydid,thejournalistsaid,"Webothlookedateachotherandsaid,'Nowhowonearthdidthatgetout?

'"

AfewweekslaterMrLowther-PinkertonnoticedthatsomenewmessagesonhisVodafonemobilewerebeingshownasold,suggestingsomeoneelsehadpickedthemup.HelenAspreynoticedthesamethingonherO2mobile.Callsweremadetothepolice,butGoodmanandMulcairehackedintothevoicemailsforatleastsixmoremonths.Duringthattimetheymade427attemptstoaccessMrLowther-Pinkerton'smessagesand122callstoMsAsprey'snumber.

WhenpolicearrestedGoodmantheyfoundaccesscodesinhisofficeforPaddyHarverson'sphone.Thereporterwassuspendedbyhispaper,whichhassaiditwillmakeastatementonhisfuture"induecourse".

MulcairewasarrestedonthesamedayathishomeinCheam,Surrey.TherepolicefoundnotebookscontainingtelephonenumbersandPINs,withreferencesto"Wills",plus"Harry"and"Chelsey"-theyoungerprinceandhisgirlfriendChelseyDavy.

BothmenpleadedguiltywhenthetrialbeganinNovember.Goodmanapologisedtotheprincesandtheirhouseholdforhis"grossinvasionofprivacy".

Mulcairealsoadmittedfiveotherchargesrelatedtohackingintothevoicemailsofpeople,includingpublicistMaxCliffordandthemodelElleMacpherson,whofoundoutaboutitwhenshewastoldthatherPINhadbeenreset.

Privateinvestigatorsareusedbymanypapers.AmonthagotheInformationCommissioner,RichardThomas,publishedaleaguetablebasedontheresultsofapoliceoperationagainstoneagency,whichrecorded952searchrequestsfromtheDailyMail,681fromtheDailyMirror,134fromBestmagazineand103fromTheObserver.AfterGoodmanwassenttoprisonMrThomassaid:

"Today'ssentencesendsoutaveryclearsignalthatbreachesofindividualprivacywillbetakenseriouslybythecourts."AstheycontemplatethefateofCliveGoodmanthisweekend,manytabloidreportersmaybetakingitabitmoreseriouslytoo.

Murdoch'sannushorribilis:

howithasallgonewrongforRupert

Thepast12monthshavenotbeenkindtoRupertMurdoch,chairmanandMDofNewsCorporation.

OnFriday,AndyCoulson,theeditoroftheNewsoftheWorld,resignedafteritemergedthatjournalistsathisnewspaperhadinterceptedhundredsofmobilephonemessagesfromcelebritiesandmembersoftheRoyalFamily.

Thenewspaper'sroyaleditorCliveGoodmanwasarrestedinAugustafteraidesinPrinceCharles'shouseholdnoticedthatnewmessagesontheirmobilephoneshadalreadybeenlistenedto.HewasjailedforfourmonthsonFridayafterpleadingguiltytointerceptingtelephonecallsintendedfor