Hacking Power Corruption and Lies
Scandal Overview
A scandal centered on Rupert Murdoch's media empire, particularly the News of the World.
Andy Coulson, a former editor, faces jail for phone hacking.
Rebecca Brooks, another prominent figure, was acquitted of involvement.
Key Players
Rupert Murdoch: Owner of News International, stood by Rebecca Brooks.
Andy Coulson: Former editor of News of the World, later David Cameron's communications director; convicted of phone hacking.
Rebecca Brooks: A protege of Murdoch, cleared of charges; held senior positions within News International.
Glen Mulcair: Master hacker, paid by News International to hack phones.
David Cameron: British Prime Minister, faced scrutiny for hiring Andy Coulson.
Phone Hacking Practices
Targeted the rich, famous, and ordinary people. Even people under police protection were targeted.
Glen Mulcair was tasked daily for five years and paid £1 million by Rupert Murdoch's News International to hack for journalists
Millie Dowler Case
In March 2002, 13-year-old Millie Dowler was kidnapped.
Glen Mulcair hacked her phone, finding a message from a recruitment agency.
The News of the World believed Millie was alive based on the hacked message but did not inform the family or police.
News of the World sent reporters to Telford after hacking Millie's phone.
Stuart Cutner contacted Mark Hancocks believing Millie Dowler worked for his recruitment agency.
New of the world printed the content of hacked message in early editions of the paper.
News of the World Closure
The newspaper was shut down in disgrace after 168 years due to the scandal.
The scandal revealed the newspaper's contempt for the law, police and the Dowler family.
Rupert Murdoch and Rebecca Brooks
Murdoch bought The Sun and The News of The World.
Rebecca Brooks joined News of the World as a researcher at age 21, rose to deputy editor of The Sun at 29.
She was politically savvy and cultivated relationships with influential people.
Political Influence
Politicians sought Murdoch's backing, including Tony Blair who courted Murdoch for Labour's support.
Close relationships developed between senior politicians and News International journalists.
Rebecca Brooks had cozy dinners with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and was playing them off.
Information Gathering
Private detectives were used to gather confidential information, including accessing bank accounts and phone records.
Andy Coulson, as deputy editor, thrived in this environment and was having a secret affair with Rebecca Brooks.
Andy Coulson's Role
Andy Coulson was the showbiz reporter and editor for The Sun.
Sean Hall claimed Coulson was aware of private detective use.
Police Investigation Concerns
Surveillance revealed links between tabloids like News of the World and private investigators with criminal ties.
Allegations arose that police were reluctant to investigate due to legal risks and complex relationships.
Sarah Payne Campaign
Rebecca Brooks said News of The World hired private investigators to track down pedophiles as part of their campaign to name and shame convicted sex offenders following the murder of Sarah Payne.
Glen Mulcair's Hacking Activities
Glen Mulcair was hacking phones as early as 1997/1998.
By 2001, he had a five-year contract earning over £100,000 per year.
Payments to Police
Rebecca Brooks admitted to paying police for information in the past under certain public interest circumstances.
Blocked Investigations
Attempts to investigate and raise concerns with newspapers, committee members, and home secretaries failed.
Tony Blair's Support
Tony Blair won a third term in 2005 with Murdoch's backing.
Increasing Pressure
Reporters were under increasing pressure to deliver exclusives, leading to heightened phone hacking.
Andy Coulson's tenure was described as era of industrial phone hacking.
Victims of Hacking
Included murder victims, highlighting the indiscriminate nature of the practice.
Patricia Bunnell's daughter Claire was murdered and her phone was hacked a day after her death.
Andy Coulson's Knowledge
Coulson claimed he didn't know about the extent of hacking but admitted knowledge of some instances.
He confronted David Blunkett about an affair revealing hacked voicemails but denied knowledge of the illegality.
Recordings of 330 voicemails of David Blunkett were found in a News of The World safe.
David Blunkett
David Blunkett was later hired by The Sun as a columnist and became an advisor to New International
Newspaper of the Year
By 2005, the news of the world exclusives had won Andy Coulson the newspaper of the year award.
Royal Phone Hacking
The story of Prince William's knee injury confirmed royal aides' suspicions of phone hacking.
Clive Goodman and Glen Mulcair pleaded guilty and were jailed.
Andy Coulson resigned taking responsibility.
The Met knew of hundreds of hacking targets from Glen Mulcair's notes, indicating a wider conspiracy.
Met's Limited Investigation
The Met claimed there was no evidence the phone hacking conspiracy went further.
The counter-terrorism unit led the investigation, but it was not prioritized.
Andy Hayman maintained relationships with the media, creating potential conflicts of interest.
John Prescott
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was never informed he was a target of hacking.
Rebecca Brooks was informed about Prescott and that she was targeted.
David Cameron and Andy Coulson
Andy Coulson was hired as head of communications for the Conservative Party, raising concerns.
David Cameron developed close relationships with Rupert Murdoch and Rebecca Brooks.
David Cameron's Relationship
David Cameron Met with Rupert Murdoch on his yacht and Rebecca Brooks in Santorini.
Texts between David Cameron and Rebecca Books showed intimacy.
David Cameron accepted that politicians and media got too close.
Renewed Scrutiny
In 2009, The Guardian revealed News International journalists had selected hundreds of people for phone hacking.
John Yates determined no fresh investigation was needed initially.
Witness Protection Scheme Breach
Glen Mulcair obtained the new identities of people in the National Witness Protection Scheme.
Surveillance of Media Select Committee
Neville Thirlbeck stated that News International had the media Committee under surveillance.
Andy Coulson in Government
In May 2010, David Cameron became Prime Minister with Andy Coulson as head of communications.
Sean Hall told the New York Times that Andy Coulson must have known about phone hacking.
Coulson's Resignation
Andy Coulson resigned due to the intensifying pressure over the hacking scandal.
Operation Wheating
The Met launched a new inquiry and properly scrutinized documents seized from Glen Mulcair years before.
The officer from Whiting was exploring the hacking of Leslie Chapman's father.
Leveson Inquiry
A public inquiry was set up to investigate the rot at the heart of the British press and its relationship with politicians and the police.
Tessa Jowell was told by police she'd been hacked by News International and informed cabinet colleagues, though she couldn't remember which ones.
Tony Blair's Involvement
Tony Blair emailed Rebecca Brooks, offering support and later advised her on managing the crisis.
Murdoch's Downfall
Rupert Murdoch withdrew his bid for full ownership of BSkyB.
Police Resignations
Commissioner Sir Paul Stevenson and John Yates resigned from Scotland Yard.
Conclusion
Andy Coulson faced jail for building his career on hacking, with questions remaining about his role in government.
The scandal revealed the close relationships between politicians, police and the press leading to overlooked criminality.
Authorities are considering corporate prosecutions against Rupert Murdoch's empire.