Man arrested over phone hacking
A 35-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the News of the World phone-hacking scandal.
Detectives at Scotland Yard investigating phone hacking at the News of the World arrested the man in a pre-dawn swoop on his home.
Officers from the Met Police’s Operation Weeting have taken the man to a north London police station for questioning on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept voicemail messages.
It is believed the 35-year-old is the sixteenth person to be arrested in connection with the phone-hacking scandal. His arrest follows that of a 30-year-old man at the beginning of September.
The latest arrest demonstrates that police are continuing to follow up evidence of phone hacking after the scandal dominated headlines at the beginning of the summer, with high-profile arrests and resignations, the closure of the News of the World and the recall of MPs to Parliament to discuss the situation.
Separately the Guardian newspaper has revealed that its reporter Amelia Hill, who has lead the paper’s coverage of the phone-hacking scandal, has been questioned by detectives over alleged leaks from the police. Ms Hill, who was questioned under caution a few days ago, was contacted by Scotland Yard officers after a 51-year-old detective was arrested by his own force last month.
A spokeswoman for the Guardian noted “on a broader point, journalists would no doubt be concerned if the police sought to criminalise conversations between off-record sources and reporters.”
The allegations are also continuing to have wider political repercussions.
Yesterday, Prime Minister David Cameron admitted he had been “too close” to the media ahead of the scandal, and further questions were also raised by MPs for News International’s top executives when former News of the World bosses contradicted evidence given by James Murdoch to MPs over phone hacking.
Former News of the World legal manager Tom Crone said he informed Mr Murdoch about the so-called “for Neville” email which it is claimed proves that knowledge of phone hacking went beyond one rogue reporter.
The Commons CMS committee will decide later this month whether to recall James Murdoch to give evidence.
