CRIME | 20.07.2011
Cameron to face parliamentary grilling on phone-hacking scandal
British Prime Minister David Cameron is set to become the latest figure to face scrutiny over the News of the World phone-hacking scandal.
Cameron returned to the country late on Tuesday after cutting short an African trip to allow him to address the House of Commons. Parliamentarians are expected to grill the prime minister in particular about his decision to employ former News of the World editor Andy Coulson.
Coulson resigned from his post at the News of the World in 2007 after two of the tabloid's employees were jailed for phone-hacking. Cameron, who was leader of the opposition at the time, then hired Coulson as his communications chief.
Coulson, though, resigned from that post just days before police launched a new investigation into phone-hacking at the paper in January of this year. Earlier this month Coulson was rearrested for questioning but subsequently freed on bail.
Turning the page
Before leaving Nigeria to return home two days ahead of schedule, the prime minister indicated that he hoped his address to parliament would help move the scandal off the country's front pages.
"The British public want something else too," Cameron said. "They don't want us to lose our focus on an economy that provides good jobs, on an immigration system that works for Britain, a welfare system that is fair for our people."
Cameron's appearance during question time is set to come a day after three leading figures in the phone-hacking scandal appeared in front of a parliamentary committee.
Not taking the blame
Robert Murdoch, the head of News Corporation, the company, which owned the News of the World, apologized for the scandal but denied any wrongdoing.
Murdoch, 80, began the hearing by describing it as "the most humble day of my life," and ended it with an apology.
"I would like all the victims of phone-hacking to know how completely and deeply sorry I am," said Murdoch, who shut down the News of the World after learning of the depth of the latest scandal.
Earlier, Murdoch had met with the parents of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, whose phone was allegedly tapped by the News of the World.
When asked by a committee member whether he thought he should resign, Murdoch replied that certain unnamed people in the company "betrayed the company and me and it's for them to pay."
Shortly before the end of his hearing Murdoch was struck with a paper plate of shaving foam, thrust on him by a member of the public who had been following the proceedings. The man was quickly whisked away by police and later identified himself as a left-wing comedian.
Investigation continues
Police are currently investigating the alleged hacking of phone messages of as many as 4,000 people.
The committee also heard from Murdoch's son James, 38, who is in charge of News Corporation's European operations. He apologized for any wrongdoing and sought to defend the former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, who later appeared before the committee.
Brooks apologized for what she described as "pretty horrific and abhorrent" allegations. She also denied any knowledge of phone hacking at the News of the World until last year, when documents related to the allegations were provided by police.
She also denied having personally paid for or authorizing any payment to police for information.
"In my experience of dealing with the police, they information they give to newspapers comes free of charge," she told the committee.
Meanwhile, a separate committee criticized both the police and former staff of the News of the World over the 2005-06 phone-hacking investigation.
"There has been a catalogue of failures by the Metropolitan Police, and deliberate attempts by News International to thwart the various investigations," said the chair of the Home Affairs Committee, Keith Vaz.
A report issued by the committee points the finger in particular at former assistant police commissioners John Yates and Andy Hayman.
It describes as "very poor" Yates' 2009 review of the investigation, in which he found that there was no need to reopen the investigation. It accuses Hayman, who got a job as a columnist for another News International paper, the Times, just two months after leaving the police force of "deliberate prevarication."
Author: Chuck Penfold (Reuters, AFP)
Editor: Ben Knight
Editor: Ben Knight
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