Home Affairs Committee seek further evidence from Met Police and NewsCorp
6 July 2011
Following recent allegations that the mobile phone of Milly Dowler was hacked whilst police investigated her disappearance, the Chairman of the Home Affairs Committee Rt. Hon Keith Vaz MP has written to Acting Commissioner John Yates and Rebekah Brooks requesting further information on whether evidence of these allegations was part of the original investigation and if there had been prior knowledge of hacking in the Milly Dowler case.
The Committee is due to receive evidence on the previous and current phone hacking inquiries from Andy Hayman CBE QPM, Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations at the Metropolitan Police at the time of the first investigation, Peter Clarke, former Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations at the Metropolitan Police and Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers QPM who is leading Operation Weeting on Tuesday 12th July.
Committee Chair, Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, said:
“These allegations are extremely shocking. It is now essential that any parties involved criminally are prosecuted and that we uncover who know who knew what at which point in time at both the Metropolitan Police and at the News of the World.
The Committee will be raising this issue with police officers involved in the current and previous investigations. We will also seek to clarify why a significant variance of action was taken by mobile phone companies in the aftermath of the phone hacking revelations.”
For further information contact Alex Paterson on 020 7219 1589 or patersona@parliament.uk
(1) Letter from Chairman to John Yates:
Phone hacking inquiry
I am writing to ask for some further information about the review of the 2006 investigation which you conducted last autumn, in the light of the recent allegations over the Milly Dowler case.
You explained to us that you had thoroughly reviewed all the evidence from the 2006 investigation. Was any information referring to Milly Dowler case in the evidence you reviewed?
I would be grateful to receive your response by noon on Friday 8th July 2011.
(2) Letter from Chairman to Rebekah Brooks:
Phone Hacking
You will recall that I wrote to you earlier this year about the Home Affairs Committee’s inquiry into the unauthorised tapping of Mobile Communications.
The Committee would like to ask you some further questions arising from the recent allegations about hacking of phones in relation to the Milly Dowler case, at which time you were editor of the News of the World. In particular, did you have any knowledge of:
- phone hacking in the case of Milly Dowler and her family
- phone hacking taking place in any other cases; and
- do you know whether the practice of phone hacking is still continuing.
I would be grateful if you could respond by midday on Friday 8th July.
(3) Andy Hayman and Peter Clarke will appear before the Committee on Tuesday 12th July at 12pm
(4) Sue Akers will appear before the Committee on Tuesday 12th July at 12.30pm