London Police Win Access to Names of People Who Ordered News Corp. Phone Hacking

LONDON - A British high court ruling Monday will give the Metropolitan Police here access to the names of the people who private investigator Glenn Mulcaire says ordered him to hack phones for News Corp.'s now-defunct News of the World tabloid.

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"It would be most unfair if the police investigating these serious activities should be held in the dark," the ruling said, according to the Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/ms/p/gnm/op/sE8mer23b_DL5iLRAfqL-dQ/view.m?id=...

It added that there was "plainly a public interest" in the issue amid probes of potential criminal behavior.

A supreme court ruling earlier this month forced Mulcaire to answer questions - in an unpublished witness statement - about who gave him orders for the hacking of PR consultant Nicola Phillips' phone.

"The Mulcaire statement does contain positive information, which may be of some benefit to the police investigation," meaning the investigator provided names, the court said.

However, the high court said Monday that phone hacking victims should not find out the names of those mentioned by Mulcaire to avoid possible leaks. Lawyers acting on behalf of victims can see his witness statement though.

Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com
Twitter: @georgszalai