News International phone hacking scandal reference lists
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The
news media phone hacking scandal By 2002, the practice of publications using private investigators to acquire confidential information was widespread in the United Kingdom, with some individuals using illegal methods. Information was allegedly acquired by accessing private voice ...
is a controversy over illegal acquisition of confidential information by news media organizations that reportedly occurred in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia between 1995 and 2011. This article includes reference lists for various topics relating to that scandal.


Overview and topics

These lists are organized according to the topics shown below in blue type. By 2002, the practice of publications using private investigators to acquire confidential information was widespread, with some individuals using illegal methods.
Victims Victim(s) or The Victim may refer to: People * Crime victim * Victim, in psychotherapy, a posited role in the Karpman drama triangle model of transactional analysis Films and television * ''The Victim'' (1916 film), an American silent film by t ...
of these illegal methods included celebrities, politicians, law enforcement officials, solicitors, and ordinary citizens. As this illegal activity became apparent,
arrests An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be questi ...
were made and some convictions achieved. Upon learning their privacy had been violated, some victims retained
solicitors A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...
and filed suit against news media companies and their agents, in some cases receiving financial payments for violation of privacy. Successful suits and publicity from investigative news articles led to further disclosures, including the names of more victims, more documentary evidence of wrongdoing, admissions of wrongdoing, and potentially related payments. Allegations were made of poor judgement and cover up by news media executives and law enforcement officials. As a result, new investigations were initiated and several senior executives and police officials resigned. There were also significant commercial consequences of the scandal. Individuals included on these lists are reportedly involved as victims, perpetrators, investigators, solicitors, or responsible oversight officials in the phone hacking scandal. Illegal acquisition of information was allegedly accomplished by accessing private voicemail accounts, hacking into computers, making false statements to officials to obtain confidential information, entrapment, blackmail, burglaries, theft of mobile phones and making payments to officials in exchange for confidential information. The kind of information acquired illegally may have include private communication, physical location of individuals, bank account records, medical records, phone bills, tax files, and organizational strategies. There is evidence that illegal acquisition of confidential information continued at least into 2010. Solicitors representing victims were targeted for surveillance by news organizations being sued as recently as 2011. For
narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc.). Narr ...
regarding the background and status of this scandal, see also: :
News media phone hacking scandal By 2002, the practice of publications using private investigators to acquire confidential information was widespread in the United Kingdom, with some individuals using illegal methods. Information was allegedly acquired by accessing private voice ...
:
News International phone hacking scandal The News International phone hacking scandal was a controversy involving the now-defunct ''News of the World'' and other British newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch. Employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in phone hacking, police b ...
: News Corporation scandal


Victims

For
narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc.). Narr ...
on some of the individuals included on the list of victims below, see their Wikipedia pages and: : List of alleged victims of the News International phone hacking scandal : News International phone hacking scandal - victims, apologies, compensation, arrests


Surveillance targets

These are lists of individuals who were targeted for surveillance beyond simple phone hacking by news media organizations. Some were targeted simply to acquire information for developing a story but others were vocal critics of news media companies and may have been targeted to obtain information with which to influence criminal investigations, civil suits, and Parliamentary hearings.


Critics of news media organizations

This list includes a serving police officer, two solicitors with clients suing
News International News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. It is the current publisher of ...
, and a Member of Parliament. Dates in parenthesis indicate the approximate date that surveillance was initiated. # Cook, David; (June 2002) While investigating
Jonathan Rees Jonathan Rees is a British private investigator, and former partner of murdered private investigator Daniel Morgan. Early life and career Born in September 1954 in Doncaster, Yorkshire, Rees left school and joined the Merchant Navy, then became ...
and Sid Fillery in connection with the 1987 murder of
Daniel Morgan Daniel Morgan (1735–1736July 6, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia. One of the most respected battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, he later commanded troops during the sup ...
, Metropolitan Police detective chief superintendent Cook reportedly became a surveillance target of
Glenn Mulcaire Glenn Michael Mulcaire (born 8 September 1970) is an English private investigator and former non-league footballer. He was closely involved in the News International phone hacking scandal, and was imprisoned for six months in 2007 for his role i ...
, who was working for ''News of the World.'' Fillery reportedly used his relationship with Alex Marunchak at ''News of the World'' to arrange for Mulcaire to obtain Cook's home address, his internal payroll number at the Metropolitan police, his date of birth and figures for the amount that he and his wife were paying for their mortgage. Surveillance of Cook is also reported to have involved physically following him and his young children, attempts to access his voicemail and that of his wife, and possibly attempts to send a "Trojan horse" email in an attempt to steal information from his computer. Documents reportedly in the possession of the Scotland Yard shows that "Mulcaire did this on the instructions of Greg Miskiw, the paper's assistant editor and a close friend of Marunchak." Attempts also appear to have been made to open letters which had been left in Cook's external postbox, indicating a "possible attempt to pervert the course of justice."
Rebekah Brooks Rebekah Mary Brooks (; born 27 May 1968) is a British media executive and former journalist and newspaper editor. She has been chief executive officer of News UK since 2015. She was previously CEO of News International from 2009 to 2011 and was ...
, then editor for ''News of the World'', was aware of the surveillance. # Watson, Tom; (September 2009) Watson had been at odds with News International since 2006, when he quit as Government Minister and signed a letter demanding that
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
resign as Prime Minister.
Rebekah Brooks Rebekah Mary Brooks (; born 27 May 1968) is a British media executive and former journalist and newspaper editor. She has been chief executive officer of News UK since 2015. She was previously CEO of News International from 2009 to 2011 and was ...
, then editor of News International's '' The Sun'', reportedly stated she would not forgive him for this and that she would pursue Watson for the rest of his life. Watson found himself targeted, with strangers going through his rubbish and harassing his family. As a member of the
Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, formerly the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, is one of the select committees of the British House of Commons, established in 1997. It oversees the operations of the Department fo ...
, he confronted News International executives with critical observations and probing questions. While the Committee was holding hearings leading to a formal report on phone hacking, three as yet unnamed News International executives arranged for Watson to be put under surveillance by private investigator and former policeman,
Derek Webb Derek Walsh Webb (born May 27, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter who first entered the music industry as a member of the band Caedmon's Call, and later embarked on a successful solo career. As a member of the Houston, Texas-based Caedmon's ...
. # Lewis, Mark; (May 2010) While Lewis was representing claimants against ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
'' for phone hacking, its parent company,
News International News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. It is the current publisher of ...
, hired Derek Webb to put Lewis and his family under surveillance. This was reportedly part of an attempt to gather evidence for false smears about his private life and thereby interfere with his ability to represent clients. The attempt to discredit the solicitors may also have been intended to protect the reputation of
Andy Coulson Andrew Edward Coulson (born 21 January 1968) is an English journalist and political strategist. Coulson was the editor of the ''News of the World'' from 2003 until his resignation in 2007, following the conviction of one of the newspaper's repo ...
, formerly editor of ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
'' who subsequently became head of communications for the Conservative Party and senior media adviser to Prime Minister
David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
. A dossier including video taken of his ex-wife and daughter was given to
Tom Crone Tom Crone is a British barrister, last working for News International as Legal Affairs manager, before he resigned during the News International phone hacking scandal in 2011. Career Crone qualified as a barrister, and after five years of privat ...
, the senior legal manager at News International.
James Murdoch James Rupert Jacob Murdoch (born 13 December 1972) is a British-American businessman, the younger son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and was the chief executive officer (CEO) of 21st Century Fox from 2015 to 2019. He was the chairman and CEO fo ...
was executive chairman of the company at the time. Lewis told the Leveson Inquiry that "News International sought to destroy my life, and very nearly succeeded." # Harris, Charlotte; (January 2011) Like Mark Lewis, Harris also came under surveillance by an agent of
News International News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. It is the current publisher of ...
while representing clients suing the company in relation to phone hacking by ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
''." Her pursuit of evidence for her clients led to disclosure of information that reportedly resulted in the firing of
Ian Edmondson Ian Edmondson (born ) is a British tabloid journalist. He was the news editor at the ''News of the World''. Edmondson was arrested by the Metropolitan Police in April 2011 during the Operation Weeting phone-hacking investigation. Career Edmon ...
from ''News of the World'' and the resignation of the prime minister's media adviser,
Andy Coulson Andrew Edward Coulson (born 21 January 1968) is an English journalist and political strategist. Coulson was the editor of the ''News of the World'' from 2003 until his resignation in 2007, following the conviction of one of the newspaper's repo ...
. Also like Lewis, both she and her family were followed and video-taped, with a dossier given to News International's
Tom Crone Tom Crone is a British barrister, last working for News International as Legal Affairs manager, before he resigned during the News International phone hacking scandal in 2011. Career Crone qualified as a barrister, and after five years of privat ...
. The private investigator, Derek Webb, was asked to establish that Harris was having an affair with someone it turned out that she had never met. Over the years, News International had engaged Webb to target more than 90 people.


Other surveillance targets

In November 2011, Channel 4 News disclosed a list of 153 people upon whom private investigator
Derek Webb Derek Walsh Webb (born May 27, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter who first entered the music industry as a member of the band Caedmon's Call, and later embarked on a successful solo career. As a member of the Houston, Texas-based Caedmon's ...
was reportedly asked by the ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
'' to carry out surveillance between 2003 and 2011. Listed below are celebrities, politicians and other public figures. Excluded from the list are those who seem to be ordinary members of the public. *
Ainsley Harriott Ainsley Denzil Dubriel Harriott (born 28 February 1957) is an English chef and television presenter. He is known for his BBC cooking game shows '' Can't Cook, Won't Cook'' and ''Ready Steady Cook''. Early life Harriott was born in Padding ...
*
Alan Johnson MP Alan Arthur Johnson (born 17 May 1950) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education and Skills from 2006 to 2007, Secretary of State for Health from 2007 to 2009, Home Secretary from 2009 to 2010, and Shadow Chancell ...
*
Alan Shearer Alan Shearer CBE DL (born 13 August 1970) is an English football pundit and retired football player and manager who played as a striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest players in Premier ...
*
Alan Titchmarsh Alan Fred Titchmarsh HonFSE (born 2 May 1949) is an English gardener, broadcaster, TV presenter, poet, and novelist. After working as a professional gardener and a gardening journalist, he established himself as a media personality through a ...
*
Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all ti ...
* Amie Buck * Andy Gray *
Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...
* Anna Fazackerley *
Ashley Cole Ashley Cole (born 20 December 1980) is an English football coach and former player who is currently a first-team coach at Premier League club Everton. As a player, he played as a left-back, most notably for Arsenal and Chelsea. Cole is consi ...
*
Ben Freeman Benedict Freeman (born 8 April 1980) is an English actor, known for portraying the role of Scott Windsor in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale''. After leaving ''Emmerdale'' in 2007, he embarked on a career in musical theatre, and has since playe ...
* Benjamin Mwarawairi * Beverley Turner *
Bob Crow Robert Crow (13 June 196111 March 2014) was an English trade union leader who served as the General Secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) from 2002 until his death in 2014. He was also a member of the Gen ...
*
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as ...
* Charles Clarke MP * Charles Kennedy MP *
Charlotte Harris Charlotte Harris (born 1981 in Ashford, Kent) is a portrait artist who currently works from her studio in Folkestone. Biography Harris studied at Leeds Metropolitan University, during which time she worked as a studio assistant for the artist ...
*
Chelsy Davy Chelsy Yvonne Davy (born 13 October 1985) is a Zimbabwean businesswoman who is the owner and founder of the jewellery brand "Aya" and the travel agency "Aya Africa". Early life Davy was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, to Charles Davy, a South Af ...
* Chris Coleman *
Chris Huhne Christopher Murray Paul-Huhne (born 2 July 1954), known as Chris Huhne, is a British energy and climate change consultant and former journalist and politician who was the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Eastleigh from 2005 to 2013 a ...
*
Chris Tarrant Christopher John Tarrant, (born 10 October 1946) is an English broadcaster, television personality and former radio DJ. He presented the ITV children's television show '' Tiswas'' from 1974 to 1981, and the game show '' Who Wants to Be a Mil ...
*
Clare Short Clare Short (born 15 February 1946) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for International Development under Prime Minister Tony Blair from 1997 to 2003. Short was the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Ladywood from 1983 ...
*
Connie Fisher Connie Fisher (born 17 June 1983) is a British actress, singer and TV presenter, who won the BBC One talent contest, '' How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?'' On 15 November 2006, she opened to excellent reviews in the part of Maria von Trapp ...
*
Daniel Radcliffe Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor. He rose to fame at age twelve, when he began portraying Harry Potter in the film series of the same name; and has held various other film and theatre roles. Over his career, Rad ...
and his parents *
Danny Cipriani Danny Cipriani (; born 2 November 1987) is an English professional rugby union player currently unattached. He most recently played for Premiership Rugby side Bath and previously played for Gloucester, Sale Sharks and Wasps in the Premiership ...
*
David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending ...
*
David Blunkett David Blunkett, Baron Blunkett, (born 6 June 1947) is a British Labour Party politician who has been a Member of the House of Lords since 2015, and previously served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough ...
*
David Miliband David Wright Miliband (born 15 July 1965) is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the International Rescue Committee and a former British Labour Party politician. He was the Foreign Secretary from 2007 to 2010 and the Member of ...
* Delia Smith *
Derek Draper Derek William Draper (born 15 August 1967) is an English former lobbyist. As a political advisor he was involved in two political scandals, "Lobbygate" in 1998, and again in 2009 while Draper was editor of the LabourList website. He has worked ...
*
Dirk Kuyt Dirk Kuijt (anglicised to Kuyt, ; born 22 July 1980) is a Dutch former professional footballer and was the head coach of Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag. Originally starting out as a striker, he played much of his career as a winger. Kuyt beg ...
*
Duke of Westminster Duke of Westminster is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. It is the most recent dukedom conferred on someone not related to the ...
* Earl Spencer *
Elle Macpherson Eleanor Nancy Macpherson (; née Gow; born ) is an Australian model, businesswoman, television host, and actress. She is known for her record five cover appearances for the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'' beginning in the 1980s, leading ...
* Eric Joyce MP *
Fernando Torres Fernando José Torres Sanz (; born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Atlético Madrid Juvenil A. Due to his consistent goalscoring rate as a young player, ...
*
Frank Bruno Franklin Roy Bruno, (born 16 November 1961) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1996. He had a highly publicised and eventful career, both in and out of the ring. The pinnacle of Bruno's boxing career was winning ...
*
Frank Lampard Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Everton. He is widely regarded as one of Chelsea’s greatest ever players, and one of the greatest midfielde ...
* Gabby Logan *
Gary Glitter Paul Francis Gadd (born 8 May 1944), best known by his stage name Gary Glitter, is an English former singer, songwriter, and record producer. He achieved success during the glam rock era of the 1970s and 1980s, and his career ended after he ...
*
Gary Lineker Gary Winston Lineker (; born 30 November 1960) is an English former professional footballer and current sports broadcaster. He is regarded as having been one of the greatest English strikers. His media career began with the BBC, where he has ...
*
Geoff Hoon Geoffrey William Hoon (born 6 December 1953) is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire from 1992 to 2010. He is a former Defence Secretary, Transport Secretary, Leader of ...
*
George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling music ...
*
Gloria De Piero Gloria De Piero (born 21 December 1972) is a British television and radio presenter, and former Labour Party politician. Prior to her political career, she was the political editor of GMTV. A member of the Labour Party, she was first electe ...
*
Gordon Ramsay Gordon James Ramsay (; born ) is a British chef, restaurateur, television personality and writer. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall; it currently holds a tot ...
* Gordon Taylor * Grace Ononiwu *
Grant Bovey Grant Michael Bovey (born March 1961 in Nottingham, England) is a British businessman and television personality. He is best known for his former marriage to Anthea Turner (a television presenter). Career Bovey was the CEO of Imagine Homes. ...
*
Harriet Harman Harriet Ruth Harman (born 30 July 1950) is a British politician and solicitor who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Camberwell and Peckham, formerly Peckham, since 1982. A member of the Labour Party, she has served in various Cabi ...
*
Heather Mills Heather Anne Mills (born 12 January 1968) is an English former model, businesswoman and activist. Mills first came to public attention in 1993 when she was a model and was involved in a traffic collision with a police motorcycle in London. T ...
* Hilary Perrin *
Ian Wright Ian Edward Wright (born 3 November 1963) is an English television and radio personality and former professional footballer. He works as a pundit for BBC Sport and ITV Sport. Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal ...
* Jackiey Budden *
James Cracknell James Edward Cracknell, (born 5 May 1972) is a British athlete, rowing champion and double Olympic gold medalist. Cracknell was appointed OBE for "services to sport" in the 2005 New Year Honours List. Biography Cracknell began rowing whilst ...
*
Jane Goldman Jane Loretta Anne Goldman''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 11 June 1970) is an English screenwriter, author and producer. With Matthew Vaughn, she co-wrote the screenplays of '' Kings ...
*
Jessie Wallace Karen Jane Wallace (born 25 September 1971), known professionally as Jessie Wallace, is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Kat Slater on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' since 2000. Her role as Kat won her the Nationa ...
* Joanne Armstrong *
John Motson John Walker Motson (10 July 1945 – 23 February 2023) was an English football commentator. Beginning as a television commentator with the BBC in 1971, he commentated on over 2000 games on television and radio. From the late 1970s to 2008, Mot ...
*
John Terry John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional football coach and former player who played as a centre-back. He was previously captain of Chelsea, the England national team and Aston Villa. He was most recently the assi ...
*
Johnny Vaughan Jonathan Randal Vaughan (born 16 July 1966) is an English television and radio presenter and a film critic. He was the main presenter of '' Capital Breakfast'' alongside Lisa Snowdon on 95.8 Capital FM between 2004 and 2011. Vaughan currently ...
*
José Mourinho José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix GOIH (; born 26 January 1963), is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Italian Serie A club Roma. Once dubbed "The Special One" by the Britis ...
* Justine Greening * Kevin Pietersen * Kimberley Fortier * Lee Chapman * Leslie Grantham * Lord Coe * Peter Goldsmith, Baron Goldsmith, Lord Goldsmith * Lord Irvine * Ken Macdonald, Lord Macdonald * Lulu (singer), Lulu * Mark Bosnich * Maxine Carr (criminal), Maxine Carr * Michelle Lineker * Mike Hancock (British politician), Mike Hancock * Ms. Dynamite * Nigella Lawson * Paul Burrell * Paul McCartney * Paul Ross * Peaches Geldof * Peter Andre * Peter Kenyon * Phil Woolas * Phillip Schofield * Pollyanna Woodward * Prince Harry * Prince William * Richard Hammond * Richard Madeley * Rik Mayall * Rio Ferdinand * Ronan Keating * Rosie Reid * Shabana Mahmood * Shahid Malik * Shalimar Wimble * Sienna Miller * Simon Cowell * Simon Hoggart * Simon Jordan * Sophie Anderton * Stephen Twigg * Steve Arnold (footballer, born 1989), Steve Arnold * Steve McFadden * Sue Cleaver * Ted Terry * Tom Watson (Labour politician), Tom Watson MP * Tony Pulis * Tony Richardson * Trevor McDonald * Vanya Seager * Zoe Williams


Solicitors

This is an alphabetical list of solicitors involved in the phone hacking scandal.


Alleged victims of phone hacking

The list of alleged victims of phone hacking includes some solicitors. The Law Society noted that it would be a serious offence if this hacking was done with the intention of affecting judicial outcomes. # Kirsty Brimelow; prominent criminal barrister who has represented clients in rape and murder trials. # Harris, Charlotte; solicitor representing alleged victims of phone hacking # Lewis, Mark; solicitor representing as many as 70 alleged victims of phone hacking including Milly Dowler's family # Mark Stephens (solicitor), Stephens, Mark; solicitor whose clients have included James Hewitt, who allegedly had an affair with Princess Diana, and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. # Winskell, Robin; sports attorney who has represented prominent footballers in disciplinary trials, FIFA arbritrations, and libel cases.


Representing victims of illegal acquisition of confidential information

# Tamsin Allen; # Charlotte Harris; Partner at the London law firm Mishcon de Reya who represented Max Clifford, who received £400,000 from ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
''. misrepresented as advanced payment for stories. They also paid Harris's costs. Harris has gone on to act for numerous individuals with hacking claims. #Steven Heffer, Partner and Head of Media & Privacy at London law firm Collyer Bristow LLP, who acted for about 80 victims. # Mark Lewis; As solicitor for the Professional Footballers' Association in 2005, Lewis realized that ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
'' was using phone hacking as the basis for a story concerning Gordon Taylor. In 2008, Lewis became the first solicitor to bring a claim for a client relating to phone hacking and went on to win a settlement from the newspaper for phone hacking. Taylor received £700,000. While represent clients against News International, the company hired a private investigator to put Lewis and his family under surveillance. Lewis lost his position at George Davies Solicitors L.L.P because the firm did not want to be involved in his suits. In 2011 Lewis acted for the family of Milly Dowler achieving a record £3 million deal. He joined Taylor Hampton Solicitors in London. Lewis has represented about 100 claimants against the News of the World and other newspapers and has explored filing phone hacking suits in the US. # Gerald Shamash; # David Sherborne; # Mark Stephens (solicitor), Mark Stephens; partner at the London law firm Finers Stephens Innocent representing 11 tranche 1 claimants, all of which settled pre-trial. He is reportedly representing a dozen claimants in tranche 2. # Mark Thomson; among others, represented Siobhain McDonagh MP in relation to invasion of privacy allegedly associated with attempts by agents of ''The Sun (UK), The Sun'' to break codes necessary to access information on her stolen mobile phone. # Hugh Tomlinson; QC Barrister, advised the high court around September 2012 that 395 people had applied for disclosure of phone-hacking evidence from the Met, that 124 phone-hacking claims had been accepted by the
News International News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. It is the current publisher of ...
compensation fund, and that something under 300 new claims would be forthcoming. # Chris Waters, Head of Dispute Resolution at London Law Firm Malletts represents Former Boxing World Champion Chris Eubank and ex-wife Karron Stephen-Martin in News International Hacking Claims. Waters also acts for numerous other victims in claims against News International. In 2011 a group was formed for the Claimant's solicitors. In addition to Harris and Lewis, several solicitors brought claims including Tamsin Allen, Mark Thomson and Gerald Shamash. Allen was the Claimant Group's first co-ordinator, Thomson took over after Allen settled her claims. There were several other solicitors involved in the group, including Mark Stephens (solicitor), Mark Stephens.


Otherwise involved in phone hacking scandal

# Lawrence Abramson; As solicitor at Harbottle & Lewis, Abramson sent a letter 29 May 2007 stating H&L's review of emails provided by
News International News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. It is the current publisher of ...
did not indicate involvement in phone hacking by other than Clive Goodman. This letter was subsequently used by News International executives to maintain that Goodman was a single "rogue reporter." When Ken Macdonald, Lord Kenneth Macdonald reviewed the emails again in July 2011, he reported "evidence of serious criminal offences" including payments to police. # Pike, Julian; Partner at Farrer & Co; represented the News Group Newspapers subsidiary of
News International News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. It is the current publisher of ...
during the 2008 settlement negotiations leading to payment of £425,000 plus costs to Gordon Taylor. Pike told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on 19 October 2011 that he had informed News International of evidence suggesting "a powerful case" could be made that three ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
'' journalists had illegally accessed confidential information. News International maintained through 2009 that only Clive Goodman had been involved. Pike also told the Committee that Colin Myler met with James Murdoch on 27 May 2008, after Pike had received a copy of the new evidence which had been emailed by Tom Crone to Myler. This meeting was in addition to Myler's meeting with Murdoch and Crone 10 June 2008. Pike had not reported earlier that senior News International personnel had misled Parliament because of professional obligations to his client. Farrer & Co. also represents Queen Elizabeth II. In 2011, Pike advised News International that News International phone hacking scandal reference lists#Surveillance targets, Mark Lewis and Charlotte Harris should be put under surveillance while they were representing clients suing the company. As a result, both of them and their families were followed and video-taped. Pike continued to characterize this apparent attempt to find information with which to discredit opposing solicitors as "unusual" but "justified" and "would do it again tomorrow," even after News International acknowledged that it was "deeply inappropriate." Farrer & Co. also wrote to Lewis threatening to enjoin him from accepting more clients that wanted to sue ''News of the World'' over phone hacking. Pike also discussed the possibility with News International's legal affairs manager,
Tom Crone Tom Crone is a British barrister, last working for News International as Legal Affairs manager, before he resigned during the News International phone hacking scandal in 2011. Career Crone qualified as a barrister, and after five years of privat ...
, of making charges of professional misconduct against Lewis and Harris. Lewis told the Leveson Inquiry that "News International sought to destroy my life, and very nearly succeeded."


Payments


Publications mentioned in the ICO report

This is a list of newspapers and magazines listed in the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) report of May 2006 titled ''What Price Privacy?''. The publications are listed in order of the number of pieces of data each paid a private investigator for. This report presented what had been learned from the ICO investigation named Operation Motorman (ICO investigation), Operation Motorman, which was begun in 2002. "Information Commissioner Richard Thomas (lawyer), Richard Thomas ... revealed that hundreds of journalists may have illegally bought private information and named a list of newspapers and magazines using one particular information agency... Numerous invoices [were found] addressed to newspapers and magazines which detailed prices for providing the journalists with personal information ... Here is the table listing the [name of the publication] followed by number of pieces of data paid for and the number of journalists involved."


Publications

# ''Daily Mail'': 952; 58 . # ''Sunday People'': 802; 50. # ''Daily Mirror'': 681; 45. # ''Mail on Sunday'': 266; 33. # ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
'': 182; 19. # ''Sunday Mirror'': 143; 25. # ''Best Magazine'': 134; 20. # ''Evening Standard'': 130 ; 1. # ''The Observer'': 103; 4 . # ''Daily Sport'': 62; 4. # ''Sunday Times'': 52; 7. # ''The People'': 37; 19. # ''Daily Express'': 36; 7. # ''Weekend Magazine (Daily Mail)'': 30; 4. # ''Sunday Express'': 29 ; 8. # '' The Sun'': 24; 4. # ''Closer (magazine), ''Closer'' Magazine'': 22; 5. # ''Sunday Sport15; 1. # ''The Mail on Sunday, Night and Day (Mail on Sunday)'': 9; 2. # ''Sunday Business, Sunday Business News'': 8; 1. # ''Daily Record (Scotland), Daily Record'': 7; 2. # ''Saturday Express'': 7; 1. # ''Sunday Mirror, Sunday Mirror Magazine'': 6; 1. # ''Real Magazine'': 4 ; 1. # ''Woman's Own'': 4; 2. # ''Daily Mirror, Daily Mirror Magazine'': 3; 2 . # ''Irish Daily Mail, Mail in Ireland'': 3, 1. # ''Daily Star (United Kingdom), Daily Star'': 2; 4. # ''Marie Claire'': 2; 1. # ''Personal Magazine'': 1; 1.


Publishers

# ''Associated Newspapers''; publisher of the ''Daily Mail'' # ''Express Newspapers''; publisher of the ''Daily Star (United Kingdom), Daily Star'' and ''Daily Express'' # ''Guardian News & Media''; publisher of ''The Guardian'' and ''The Observer'' # ''Mirror Group Newspapers'' (MGN); publisher of the ''Daily Mirror'' and the ''Sunday Mirror'' # ''
News International News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. It is the current publisher of ...
''; publisher of '' The Sun'', ''The Times'' and the ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
'' # ''Telegraph Media Group''; publisher of the ''The Daily Telegraph, Telegraph'' and ''Sunday Telegraph''


Individuals acknowledging that confidential information was acquired illegally

This is a chronological list of individuals that acknowledged acquiring confidential information illegally themselves or, from first-hand experience, alleged the practice was widespread by news media companies. Dates in parentheses indicates approximately when each individual made the admission. As of 15 December 2010, ''The Guardian'' reported that more than 20 journalists who worked for ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
'' had told ''The Guardian'', ''The New York Times'' or Dispatches (TV series), Channel 4's ''Dispatches'' that "illegal activity assisted by private investigators was commonplace and well known to executives, including
Andy Coulson Andrew Edward Coulson (born 21 January 1968) is an English journalist and political strategist. Coulson was the editor of the ''News of the World'' from 2003 until his resignation in 2007, following the conviction of one of the newspaper's repo ...
." Coulson has denied having knowledge of phone hacking while he was editor at ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
''. ;Individuals acknowledging that they illegally acquired confidential information # Steve Whittamore; (April 2005) private investigator # John Boyael; (April 2005) private investigator # Alan King; (April 2005) retired police officer civilian communications officer # Paul Marshall; (April 2005) # David Leigh (journalist), Leigh, David; (2006) assistant editor for ''The Guardian'' # Clive Goodman; (2007) royal correspondent for ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
'' #
Glenn Mulcaire Glenn Michael Mulcaire (born 8 September 1970) is an English private investigator and former non-league footballer. He was closely involved in the News International phone hacking scandal, and was imprisoned for six months in 2007 for his role i ...
; (2007) private investigator # Sean Hoare; (September 2010) entertainment journalist for '' The Sun'' and for ''News of the World'' # Paul McMullan (journalist), Paul McMullan; (September 2010) senior journalist for News of the World ;Individuals alleging that illegal acquisition of confidential information was widespread # Piers Morgan; (2007) former editor of the ''Daily Mirror'', former editor of the ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
'', and former show business editor of the ''The Sun (United Kingdom), Sun'' stated that "loads of newspaper journalists were doing it. Clive Goodman, the ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
'' reporter, has been made the scapegoat for a widespread practice." # David Brown; (2007) former reporter for ''The People'' who alleged that "reporters on the publisher's Sunday newspaper regularly used phone hacking to get information in the first half of the last decade." The Trinity Mirror which publishes the Mirror and Sunday Mirror, called the claims unsubstantiated allegations of a disgruntled, dismissed employee. # Andrew Neil; former editor of ''The Sunday Times'' and former writer for the ''Daily Mail''; Claimed that phone hacking "was systemic throughout the News of the World, and to a lesser extent '' The Sun." # Sharon Marshall; (2010) entertainment journalist, formerly TV editor for ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
'' and contributor to '' The Sun''. "Author of the book 'Tabloid Girl' said hacking was widespread at ''News of the World'' and other tabloids." "Sharon Marshall is named as having witnessed hacking when working under Coulson from 2002-04. "It was an industry-wide thing," she said." # James Hipwell; (18 July 2011) former business journalist at the ''Daily Mirror'' # [unnamed ''Sunday Mirror'' sources]; (23 July 2011) claims "techniques were routine, and that they were being used at the news desk, and by designated reporters, virtually every day." # [unnamed ''New York Times'' sources]; "A dozen former reporters said in interviews that hacking was pervasive at ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
''. “Everyone knew,” one longtime reporter said. 'The office cat knew'...
Andy Coulson Andrew Edward Coulson (born 21 January 1968) is an English journalist and political strategist. Coulson was the editor of the ''News of the World'' from 2003 until his resignation in 2007, following the conviction of one of the newspaper's repo ...
talked freely with colleagues about the dark arts, including hacking. 'I’ve been to dozens if not hundreds of meetings with Andy' when the subject came up, said [a] former editor... When Coulson would ask where a story came from, editors would reply, 'We’ve pulled the phone records' or 'I’ve listened to the phone messages.'


Individuals who worked for both News International and the police

This is an alphabetical list of individuals who at various times worked for both
News International News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. It is the current publisher of ...
and the Metropolitan Police Service. # Andy Hayman was with the Essex Police from 1978 until 1998, when he transferred to the Metropolitan Police Service. He became Chief Constable for the Norfolk Constabulary in 2002 but returned to the Met in February 2005. Hayman was in charge of the Royal Household/Goodman Inquiry in 2006. He resigned from the Met in December 2007 during an investigation of reportedly lavish entertainment expenditures for "long lunches and dinners with ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
'' journalists at a time when the newspaper was under investigation for phone hacking." Two months later he was hired by
News International News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. It is the current publisher of ...
, where he wrote an article for ''The Times'' defending the police investigation he led, maintaining that there were “perhaps a handful” of hacking victims. # Alex Marunchak worked as a freelance Ukrainian language interpreter for the Metropolitan Police Service between 1980 and 2000 while he was also an executive for ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
'', where he worked from 1981 to 2006. He provide "interpretation and translation services for victims, witnesses and suspects of crime who do not speak English." Marunchak was a regular customer of private investigator
Jonathan Rees Jonathan Rees is a British private investigator, and former partner of murdered private investigator Daniel Morgan. Early life and career Born in September 1954 in Doncaster, Yorkshire, Rees left school and joined the Merchant Navy, then became ...
, who was reportedly purchasing information from improper sources. No evidence became public that Marunchak or other journalists had committed criminal offences or that they were aware of how Rees acquired the information. Marunchak reportedly arranged for
Glenn Mulcaire Glenn Michael Mulcaire (born 8 September 1970) is an English private investigator and former non-league footballer. He was closely involved in the News International phone hacking scandal, and was imprisoned for six months in 2007 for his role i ...
, then doing work for ''News of the World'', to Metropolitan Police role in the News International phone hacking scandal#Operation Nigeria (1999), conduct surveillance on the detective investigating Rees and his partner,Sid Fillery, for murder. # John Stevens, Baron Stevens of Kirkwhelpington was Met commissioner from 2000 to 2005. He has been credited with reopening communication between the news media and the police after his predecessor, Paul Condon, Baron Condon, Sir Paul Condon had all but closed it down in the mid-1990s with his anti-corruption drive at Scotland Yard. After retiring, he wrote a column for the ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
''. In his autobiography, he stated that he had "worked hard to foster good relations with newspapers and had made himself 'available' to editors including
Rebekah Brooks Rebekah Mary Brooks (; born 27 May 1968) is a British media executive and former journalist and newspaper editor. She has been chief executive officer of News UK since 2015. She was previously CEO of News International from 2009 to 2011 and was ...
(then Wade) at '' The Sun'' and
Andy Coulson Andrew Edward Coulson (born 21 January 1968) is an English journalist and political strategist. Coulson was the editor of the ''News of the World'' from 2003 until his resignation in 2007, following the conviction of one of the newspaper's repo ...
, then at the ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one o ...
''." His diary, which may record meetings between him and
News International News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. It is the current publisher of ...
executives between February 2000 to January 2005, went missing but was found in October 2011 at New Scotland Yard. In March 2011, he was chairman of security firm Axiom International. # Neil Wallis worked for
News International News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. It is the current publisher of ...
from 1987 to 1998 and again from 2003 to 2009. He then started his own public relations firm, Chamy Media, which provided "strategic communication advice and support" to the Met on a part-time basis from October 2009 to September 2010. Wallis's firm was paid £24,000 by the Met at the same time Wallis received more than £25,000 from
News International News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. It is the current publisher of ...
for providing “crime exclusives” using details of Met investigations. Wallis was arrested in July 2011 on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications Also in July, the Independent Police Complaints Commission began an Inquiry into "whether John Yates (police officer), John Yates used his position to help get Wallis's daughter a job at Scotland Yard.


Investigations

For
narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc.). Narr ...
regarding some of the investigations on this list, see also articles for specific Metropolitan Police operations and: :Metropolitan police role in phone hacking scandal :News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations :News International phone hacking scandal#Further UK investigations, News International phone hacking scandal- UK investigations :News International phone hacking scandal#2009–2011: Renewed investigations, News International phone hacking scandal- Renewed investigations


Attempted suicides

On 6 March 2012, Reuters reported that two senior journalists working for '' The Sun'', a newspaper owned by
News International News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media conglomerate News Corp. It is the current publisher of ...
, appeared to have attempted suicide in the face of ongoing investigations relating to the phone hacking scandal. At that time, eleven current and former staff members of ''The Sun'' had been arrested on suspicion of bribing police or civil servants for information.


Commercial consequences


Arrests

For additional
narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc.). Narr ...
regarding some of the arrests on this list, see also: :News International phone hacking scandal#Further arrests, News International phone hacking scandal- Further arrests


Charged with crimes


Convictions


Key evidentiary documents


Key newspaper articles


Press releases


Media coverage


See also

*Leveson Inquiry *List of people related to the News International phone hacking scandal *Metropolitan Police role in the News International phone hacking scandal * News Corporation scandal *
News International phone hacking scandal The News International phone hacking scandal was a controversy involving the now-defunct ''News of the World'' and other British newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch. Employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in phone hacking, police b ...
*
News media phone hacking scandal By 2002, the practice of publications using private investigators to acquire confidential information was widespread in the United Kingdom, with some individuals using illegal methods. Information was allegedly acquired by accessing private voice ...
*News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations *News of the World royal phone hacking scandal *Operation Elveden *Operation Kalmyk *Operation Motorman (ICO investigation) *Operation Rubicon *Operation Tuleta *Operation Weeting


Wikipedia articles with timelines

# Metropolitan police role in phone hacking scandal#Timeline, Metropolitan police role in phone hacking scandal - Timeline # News International phone hacking scandal#Timeline, News International phone hacking scandal - Timeline # Timeline of the News Corporation scandal


References

{{Use British English, date=November 2020 2007 in law 2007 in the United Kingdom 2011 in law 2011 in the United Kingdom Hacking (computer security) Journalistic scandals News International phone hacking scandal, Reference lists Police misconduct in the United Kingdom Political scandals in the United Kingdom Telephone tapping ar:قضية تجسس نيوز أوف ذه ورلد على الهواتف ca:Escàndol d'intervencions telefòniques de News International de:News-International-Skandal fr:Scandale du piratage téléphonique par News International id:Skandal peretasan telepon News International ms:Skandal akhbar News of the World godam telefon nl:Afluisterschandaal van News of the World ru:Дело News International ta:நியூசு இண்டர்நேசனல் தொலைபேசி ஒட்டுக்கேட்பு விவகாரம் th:การดักรับข้อมูลทางโทรศัพท์ของนิวส์ออฟเดอะเวิลด์ vi:Bê bối nghe lén của News International zh:世界新闻报电话窃听丑闻