Top prosecutor probes phone hacking (From Redditch Advertiser)

Top prosecutor probes phone hacking

2:57am Friday 10th July 2009

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Prosecutors are carrying out an "urgent examination" into claims of alleged phone hacking by the News of the World.

Keir Starmer QC, the director of public prosecutions, said he wanted to reassure himself and the public that "appropriate actions" were taken over material provided by the police three years ago.

His announcement came despite police saying earlier they would not be mounting a new investigation into fresh allegations that thousands of public figures had their phones hacked.

The victims are said to have included former deputy prime minister John Prescott, PR agent Max Clifford, London mayor Boris Johnson and actress Gwyneth Paltrow. Telephone messages from football manager Sir Alex Ferguson and player Alan Shearer were also allegedly intercepted.

Mr Starmer said: "In the light of the fresh allegations that have been made, some preliminary inquiries have been undertaken and I have now ordered an urgent examination of the material that was supplied to the CPS by the police three years ago.

"I am taking this action to satisfy myself and assure the public that the appropriate actions were taken in relation to that material.

"Given the nature of the offences, the amount of material is, of course, extensive and complex, but it has all been located and a small team is now rapidly working through it."

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates said police had seen no additional evidence since the force's last investigation, which ended with the jailing of News of the World royal reporter Clive Goodman in 2007. Mr Yates also said detectives had found no evidence that Mr Prescott's phone was tapped. But he said police would now inform any potential victims that their phone may have been hacked where there was any suspicion.

Meanwhile, Conservative leader David Cameron criticised journalists guilty of "unacceptable practices" but continued to back Andy Coulson, the former tabloid newspaper editor who heads his media relations team. Mr Cameron - in an apparent reference to press reports of alleged phone tapping by private investigators working for journalists employed by the group which owns the News of the World - said newspapers do "wrong things".

But he said he stood by his view that there was no need for Mr Coulson, a former News of the World editor who is Mr Cameron's director of communications, to resign. "There is no doubt that some (newspapers) do do wrong things," said Mr Cameron, while answering questions from pensioners in Norwich. "We are reading about some of that in the papers today. Unacceptable practices like that are completely unacceptable and should stop."

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