John Yates And Neil Wallis - A Mutual Understanding

The latest piece by my regular contributor.

John Yates is back writing a column, for the Telegraph, with his old friend Neil Wallis playing cheerleader in the wings

Explosive! Ex-Met AC John Yates blasts Hogan-Howe betrayal of own officers over #Gategate shambles! in Telegraph today soc.li/qlapB3S
— Neil Wallis (@neilwallis1) September 29, 2012

Explosive! Betrayal! Shambles!

Yates' article - dubbed 'Enemy at the Gates' - uses the Andrew Mitchell bicycle debacle to aim a high-power snipe at the current Metropolitan Police (MET) Commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe.  Yates compares him unfavourably to the superior tenures of "commissioners of the calibre of Lord Stevens or Sir Paul Stephenson" - something else Wallis enthusiastically endorses.  They do seem to have a lot in common, don't they...?

Both Yates and Wallis share a love of football, fine dining, and a staggering lack of self-awareness.  The irony of his own words is clearly lost on Yates if one compares what he says now, as opposed to what he said then - in his last few years in the MET. Here in 2012, Yates states

The Met looked far too ready to concede that any additional investigation into these matters was not worth the effort.

Hmmm.... 'Additional investigation not worth the effort' in comparison to what, exactly?  The awarding of a very lucrative MET contract to News of the World former Deputy Editor, Neil Wallis?

The total value of the contract was based on two days work per month at £1000 per day. This was funded jointly by the MPS’s Public Affairs Directorate and Specialist Operations, which was headed at this time by Assistant Commissioner (AC) John Yates....  following the award of the contract Mr Wallis’ fees were split evenly between AC Yates’ department and the Department for Public Affairs headed by Mr Fedorcio.

Or perhaps lax by comparison to a scant eight hours devoted to deciding no further investigation was warranted to contradict the News of the World's 'one rogue reporter' fairytale? Move along, nothing to see here. Or as Lord Justice Leveson described it, a "back-of-the-envelope job for the day"? Maybe that is what Yates is echoing in the Telegraph when he says

An investigation, as I know only too well, would have bought time, given everyone the space to breathe and allowed hitherto unknown facts to emerge before final conclusions were reached. By closing this down early, No 10 and the Met have created a problem that was avoidable.

Yates goes on to bemoan what he sees as the current lack of accountability of senior MET officers.  In Yates' good old days, he would have expected the MET Commissioner to be challenged on

live television, with the national and local media present, the commissioner would have had to explain all the circumstances of the incident to a committee whose membership was drawn from all the major political parties...He would then be questioned in detail about his decision-making...Who really challenges the commissioner now and who will challenge other chiefs in the future? Where is the transparency and the public accountability around key decisions?

Yates sounds almost nostalgic for his own appearances before the Parliamentary Select Committees for Home Affairs,  and for Culture, Media and Sport regarding MET accountability on Hackgate.  His evidence sessions were virtuoso performances of stonewalling and evasion, added to his obvious irritation at the impertinence of any Select Committee calling him to account.  Ditto his evidence to the Leveson Inquiry, given by video link from Bahrain.

And what of the two previous MET Commissioners to whom Yates invidiously compares Hogan-Howe - Paul Stephenson and John Stevens?  Both had reason to owe Wallis a debt of gratitude

Former News of the World executive Neil Wallis advised two former senior policemen on how to get the job of Scotland Yard commissioner, the Leveson Inquiry heard today. Mr Wallis said he helped Lord Stevens "throughout" his successful application to become head of the Metropolitan Police, telling him to stress he was a "copper's copper" or "thief-taker".  The ex-tabloid executive also offered his opinions on what the post required to Sir Paul Stephenson, who took over as Met commissioner in 2009.

According to Leveson evidence, Dick Fedorcio informed Stephenson in advance of his intention to contract Neil Wallis.  Stephenson appears not to have disagreed with Fedorcio's decision, perhaps as Sir Paul had already been receiving counsel from an altruistic Wallis - for free - on key speech-making. Once contracted however, Wallis was paid for this advice retrospectively.  Unfortunately for him, Paul Stephenson was put into the position (at the behest of Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell) of asking Bob Quick to investigate serious allegations that John Yates may have been leaking MET Management Board level information to those in the media with whom Yates had over-close friendships.

John Stevens is the other 'high-calibre' Commissioner extolled in Yates' Telegraph piece.  He also enjoyed fine dining with Wallis and was appreciative of Wallis' grooming his public image.  On his retirement from the MET, Wallis proposed that the News of the World serialised Stevens' autobiography. Stevens was then offered a generous contract for a regular column entitled 'The Chief' - ghost-written by NotW's Deputy Editor - Neil Wallis.  For this, Stevens "was paid £5,000 for seven articles in the first year before his fee was upped £7,000 for the second." (Hacked Off)

Robert Jay's questioning of John Stevens revealed other interests shared by Stevens, Yates and Neil Wallis

The Birdcage, which is or appears to be a restaurant in W1... lunch...Sandersons, a hotel in Berners Street W1... lunch with Lord Alli and Neil Wallis... dinner with Neil Wallis... London's Brasserie... dinner with Rebekah Wade and husband, The Ivy... dinner with Mr Wallis, Convivio... News of the World, Scalini - Andy Coulson, editor, Neil Wallis, deputy editor ...

We get the picture - if only Yates and Wallis did.  Blithely unaware of perceptions, they still don't get it.  Their mutual admiration society is cemented by an unshakeable belief in their shared integrity and unchallengable 'objectivity'.  Countering any view that Yates may now be an discredited choice for newspaper columnist, Neil Wallis' eulogised on Twitter:

@gsandhu The Telegraph obviously don't agree.And I promise you, neither do the majority of the Met, who adored him and mourned his leaving
— Neil Wallis (@neilwallis1) September 29, 2012

Ah, yes.  I believe Jung calls it 'projection' - no sense of irony or self-perception at all there from 'Wallis the Wolfman'.

So, Yates feels entitled to opine on the MET's handling of cycling in Downing Street, yet is stubbornly oblivious to the questionable closeness of past senior MET officers to Neil Wallis and News International. Ironically - Yates' own words in the Telegraph could equally reflect an alternative view of his role in Hackgate

It is, in the words of Malcolm Tucker from The Thick of It, an 'omnishambles'.  The only way to resolve it is to turn back the clock and for there to be a proper investigation.

 No shit, Sherlock - on yer bike.  Move along.

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You can contact the author on Twitter @brown_moses or by email at brownmoses@gmail.com

News Corp - Diplomatic Immunity?

A new piece from my regular contributor:

A key deadline has just passed for new claimants in Hackgate litigation. A few 'Lead Cases' may be selected for first hearings tranche - to establish some common case principles - whilst others may choose to settle their claims with News International/News Group Newspapers (NGN) before their cases are due to come to court c. May 2013.  New case-management rules have now been advised which affect allegations over and above phone-hacking alone (Carter-Ruck):

A prerequisite to joining the Claimant Group is that the claim against NGN must be for a breach of privacy/confidence and/or harassment and/or a breach of the Data Protection Act. The claim does not, however, have to include phone hacking, but may involve a claim for computer hacking or “any other investigative method” (such as surveillance) carried out by NGN.... the vast majority of the claims to date and those in the new Claimant Group relate to phone hacking by the News of the World. However, there may well be claims emerging in the future that allege phone or computer hacking by The Sun, a separate NGN title. In an important decision, Mr Justice Vos ordered that cases against The Sun would also fall within the new Claimant Group. How this will work in practice will be interesting to see as NGN has now admitted many of the phone hacking allegations made against the News of the World but not in respect of The Sun. Claims against The Sun are therefore likely to be more contentious and may not fit neatly into the scheme of the litigation and so Mr Justice Vos has provided a mechanism whereby Claimants with claims which are only against The Sun may ask him for specific directions on how their case should be handled.

It is of course well known that victims include politicians.  Some have settled with NGN already, others are amongst new claimants, and a few have opted not to take any action.  Their names have trickled out into the public domain.  And that in itself is problematic. Their very names invoke our subjective responses, dependent on our likes and dislikes ot them individually or their party affiliations - focusing on WHO induces our gut feelings.  A different emphasis is revealed by looking at WHAT rather than who - what roles, what functions, what Offices of State etc were targeted during the relevant time period.
Looked at from this perspective, it's audacious. It's breathtaking. It's shocking.

a)  Peter Hain, MP (Lab), Leader of House of Commons, Secretary of State fro Northern Ireland, Secretary of State for Wales, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, junior minister Foreign and Commonwealth Office, candidate for Deputy Leader of the Labour Party

b)  John Prescott, MP (Lab), Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions, candidate for Leader of the Labour Party

c)  Peter Mandelson, MP (Lab), European Commissioner for Trade, Minister without Portfolio, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

d)  Claire Ward, MP (Lab), Member of Select Committee for Culture, Media and Sport

e)  Gordon Brown, MP (Lab), Prime Minister, Cabinet Member, Chancellor of the Exchequer

f)  Chris Bryant, MP (Lab), Minister for Europe, Parliamentary under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Parliamentary Private Secretary to Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, Parliamentary Private Secretary to Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, member Home Affairs Select Committee

g)  Tom Watson, MP (Lab), Deputy Chair of Labour Party, Assistant Government Whip, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Minister of Defence, member Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee

h)  Tessa Jowell, MP (Lab), Minister of State Department of Health, Minister of Health Department of Education and Employment, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Paymaster General, Minister for London, Minister for the Cabinet Office

i)  Neil Kinnock, MP (Lab) Leader of the Labour Party, Leader of the Opposition, European Commissioner, Vice-President of the European Commission, Chairman of the British Council

j)  Glenys Kinnock, MEP (Lab) Member of European Council for Foreign Relations, Minister for Europe, Minister of State for Africa and the Unkted Nations

k)  Stephen Byers, MP (Lab), Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, member of Home Affairs Select Committee, Whips Office

l)  David Blunkett, MP (Lab), Secretary for Education and Employment, Home Secretary, Secretary for Work and Pensions.  (Specifically named in Operation Weeting phone hacking charges)

m)  Charles Clarke, MP (Lab), junior Education minister, Minister of State for Education, Home Secretary.  (Specifically named in Operation Weeting phone hacking charges)

n)  Mark Oaten, MP (Lib Dem), Home Affairs spokesperson, candidate for Leader of Liberal Democrat Party

o)  Nigel Farage MEP, (UKIP), Party Leader

p)  Tommy Sheridan co-Convener (Solidarity Scotland), Holyrood MSP candidate, candidate for European Parliament

q)  Martin Salter, MP (Lab), member of Select Committee on Northern Ireland, member of Home Affairs Select Committee, Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Schools Minister,

r)  Denis McShane, MP (Lab), junior Minister for Foreign Office, Minister for Europe

s)  George Galloway, MP (Respect), MP (Lab), Holyrood MSP candidate,

t)  Jack McConnell, MSP (Lab), First Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs,  Prime Minister's Special Representative for Conflict Resolutions Mechanisms

u)  Boris Johnson MP (Con), Shadow Minister for the Arts, Shadow Minister for Higher Education, Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party, Mayor of London

v)  Simon Hughes, MP (Lib Dem), Deputy Leader of Liberal Democrat Party, President of Liberal Democrats, candidate for Mayor of London, candidate for Leader of Liberal Democrat Party

w)  Nick Brown, MP (Lab), Chief Whip, Agriculture Minister

x)  Joan McAlpine, MSP (SNP) Parliamentary Aide to First Minister Alex Salmond, member Scottish Parliamentary Committee for Education and Culture

y)  Alex Salmond, MSP, First Minister, formerly SNP MP for Banff and Buchan, (does not confirm or deny that his phone was hacked)

Clearly, the majority of politician victims are Labour and allegedly subject to a variety of illegalities - phone hacking, blagging, computer hacking, burglary. The range of political office holders is remarkable, and includes one Prime Minister and two Scottish First Ministers.  Of course these are just the national politicians. The list does not include others who could also be deemed 'political' eg Alistair Campbell, Cherie Blair, political opponents and defenders of Tommy Sheridan or union leaders such as the late Sir Gavin Laird, Andy Gilchrist and Bob Crowe.

If another nation state had targeted the democratic functioning of the UK in the same way - rather than News Corporation - there would be calls for a United Nations Security Council resolution on sanctions, and their diplomats would be deported.

But we'd best leave it there - for one thing, we're running out of alphabet...

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You can contact the author on Twitter @brown_moses or by email at brownmoses@gmail.com

Alastair Morgan On The Latest Hackgate Revelations

In this past week it seems the Hackgate scandal has begun to make comeback, with new claims in the Independent and Evening Standard which have included allegations that the News of the World ordered Southern Investigations to carry out burglaries on their behalf, a police mole at Southern Investigations being exposed by a hacker with links to the News of the World, and other allegations relating to the blackmailing of ministers and MPs using information obtained by Southern Investigations.

This has all been of great interest to Alastair Morgan, whose brother, Daniel Morgan, set up Southern Investigations in 1984 with Jonathan Rees, and was murdered in 1987 after attempting to expose Southern Investigations' involvement in alleged police corruption.  A number of police investigations into the murder were seemingly undermined by the police's close relationship with Southern Investigations, and the latest revelations in the press are linked to the work of a police undercover operative, Derek Haslam, who was supposedly placed at Southern Investigations as part of an inquiry into Daniel Morgan's murder.  Earlier today I spoke to Alastair Morgan about the latest allegations in the press:

What do you think of this quote from Jonathan Rees' video interview in the Independent, re Daniel's murder?

I think that's one of the biggest deceptions of all time.  I don't think any of the senior MET police officers whatsoever cared less about the Morgan murder - they couldn't care less.

I never comment on anything that Mr Rees says.

Do you believe then that Operation Nigeria was just used as an excuse to get a listening probe into Southern Investigations to find out what information they were gathering about the MET and senior officers?

I believe that this was part of the Met’s motivation.

Firstly, Operation Nigeria was carried out behind our backs after a meeting between my former MP (now Lord Chris Smith of Finsbury) and the then Deputy Commissioner John Stevens. My family were not allowed to know what was going on in that inquiry. That alone creates suspicion, given the history of the case up to that time. We also know since the Leveson Inquiry that Lord Stevens (as he is now) says he was not briefed about the evidence of extensive police/media (NoW) corruption that was uncovered during that investigation, despite the fact that Bob Quick - who took over responsibility for that operation from John Yates in January 1999 - wrote a report recommending further investigation and prosecutions for his superior, Andy Hayman. Mr Quick told the Leveson Inquiry that Scotland Yard had refused to provide him with a copy of his report to help him prepare his statement for Leveson. As Deputy Commissioner, John Stevens was responsible for force discipline and, given the evidence of extensive police/media corruption uncovered, he must at the very least have not been in control of his command. The fact that he was coached for his interview for the Commissioner’s post by Neil Wallis and took on a columnist contract for NoW after he left the Met has left  a very bad taste in my mouth. 

At this time, I know of only one instance when the probe deployed in Southern Investigations was used specifically to gather evidence on Daniel’s murder. This took place at a time when police knew they were going to have to close the operation down to make arrests  in an ongoing conspiracy by Jonathan Rees and others (including a serving police officer, Austin Warnes) to plant cocaine on an innocent woman in order to discredit her in a child-custody battle.

Tom Watson MP has called for all Operation Nigeria tapes to be transcribed. What other action do you now think is needed?

This would be very much in the public interest, as would a full judicial inquiry into the police’s handling of Daniel murder.

How does this new information help your call for a full inquiry into Daniel's killing?

Much of the recently publicised allegations only amplify the deeply unhealthy relationship between the Met, NoW and Southern Investigations that became evident during the Leveson inquiry, most specifically in the evidence that NoW interfered with an investigation into Daniel’s murder in 2002, when DCS David Cook and his family were placed under surveillance by journalists from NoW. Since the collapse of the prosecution in March 2011, we have become aware that two witnesses allege that Daniel actually approached NoW with an expose of police corruption shortly before he was murdered. The most recent allegations only underline the need for a full judicial inquiry. 

With new and increasingly serious accusations against Southern Investigations being made all the time do you think it's time for there to be an inquiry in to their activities, including their possible links with the murder of your brother?  If so, what form would you like that inquiry to take?

A full judicial inquiry or a possibly panel of inquiry as in the Hillsborough disaster are the only real options, in my view.

You can read more about the Morgan family's campaign at the Justice 4 Daniel Website, as well as following the campaign on Twitter.

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You can contact the author on Twitter @brown_moses or by email at brownmoses@gmail.com

SOCA, The Met, And The ICO - Joined Up Thinking?

Another post from a regular contributor

So, there's plenty happening with Hackgate.  Lord Justice Leveson has started to send out Section 13 letters, a couple of ex-Times employees have been arrested regarding Nightjack, Tom Crone has been arrested, and the Wapping Weeting defendants are due to plead at Southwark on September 26th.  In Scotland, Operation Rubicon's investigations have now led to the Sheridan Trial Trio being detained, arrested and charged. 

But meanwhile, there are low profile developments gathering pace (or should that be PACE...) involving the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). 

As the Leveson Inquiry starts to wind down for now, the focus for inquisitorial scrutiny will start to shift back where it was before - the Select Committees of Parliament.  The work of Tom Watson et al of the Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee was crucial to unpicking allegations of News International's phone-hacking.  It was ably augmented by the Home Affairs Select Committee looking at Metropoltan Police Service (MET) handling of Hackgate and communications data interception. The Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) issued its rigorous Report in July 2011, 'Unauthorised Tapping Into or Hacking of Mobile Communications'. 

HASC scrutiny of related issues has though continued - it launched an inquiry into 'private investigators' and held evidence hearings in the spring of 2012.  Aside from issues of regulation, licensing and so on, HASC heard three pieces of evidence of real interest to Hackgate watchers.

• An unrepentant Julian Pike of Farrer & Co was asked again about News International's use of a private investigator in surveillance of Mark Lewis and Charlotte Harris, lawyers acting for phone-hacking victims.
• an unexpected bombshell when (under parliamentary privilege) a witness alleged collusion and corruption of MET officers by a leading private investigator and security industry firm.
• an opportunity to re-visit OPERATION MOTORMAN with the Information Commissioner (ICO).

The HASC Report 2012, 'Private Investigators' is published here.  Deep in the written evidence is a brief supplementary submission (April 2012, p123) from the ICO which repays reading. It seems - perhaps belatedly - there might actually be some cooperation and coordination in investigatory strategy going on.  Whilst the ICO have not prosecuted any private investigators or 'enquiry agents' for the past two years, it says

We have however been engaged in one long-running and complex investigation which we expect to be able to bring to court imminently.

There is little nugget too:

The ICO is also working with other regulators and law enforcement bodies... the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) have agreed to share some of the evidence obtained in Operation Millipede with the ICO.

 It continues,

Similarly the Metropolitan Police have agreed to share some of the evidence relating to private investigators that they uncover during aspects of the Operation Wheeting investigation into phone-hacking at the News of the World. This information will be collated and used within the (ICO) investigations department to inform and support proactive investigations into rogue elements within the private investigator community.

Joined-up thinking at last by key investigation agencies and (maybe) some signs of a common determination to pursue evidence that has been gathering cobwebs too long.

And that's an intriguing turn of phrase from the ICO - "rogue elements".  One might wonder if it has anything to do with the confidential 2008 SOCA Intelligence Report called 'Private Investigators: The Rogue Element of the Private Investigation Industry and Others Unlawfully Trading in Personal Data'.

Completed by SOCA in Jan 2008, the eight page report was designated 'Restricted' until it was slipped into the public domain in early 2012.  (Hat-tip to Keith Vaz MP for noticing it on SOCA's web site.) It summarises findings about "harms inflicted to the UK by private investigators" from five un-named police investigations, up to and including 2007 when Clive GOODMAN and Glenn MULCAIRE were convicted.  Criminal activities include "unlawfully acquiring data, interception of communications, corruption, and perverting the course of justice."  It is also pointed out that many private investigators have been previously employed in law enforcement or the armed forces: "Such individuals bring with them the skills and specialist knowledge accrued during their previous careers."  Corrupt practices identified also include "accessing their own or associates' recorded convictions; attempting to discover the location of witnesses".

You can read it here.


The five anonymised investigations up to the Intelligence Report cut-off date of September 2007 could conceivably include Operation REPROOF, Operation MOTORMAN and Operation GLADE - these all relate to Hackgate.  Spoilt for choice, perhaps SOCA also included the (as-yet unconnected to Hackgate)  Operation BARBATUS.

Should SOCA consider writing a Volume 2 beyond that cut-off date, the familiar modus operandi might point to several current police Hackgate operations, and perhaps Operation ABELARD II.

Not forgetting there's that rather interesting OPERATION MILLIPEDE - the prime example of a 'Jack-in-Box' investigation.  The one that it is just so difficult to keep the lid on.

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You can contact the author on Twitter @brown_moses or by email at brownmoses@gmail.com

Some Intriguing Hackgate "Known Unknowns"

Another article by a regular contributor.

...There are known unknowns; that is to say there are things that, we know know we don't know...

Some loose ends: The Leveson Inquiry has not concluded its formal evidence hearings having tied up all the frayed ends. In fact, it would be more accurate to say the Inquiry has not even concluded.  Dacre and Associated Newspapers have rowed back from their challenge to Lord Justice Leveson over prima facie wrongdoing evidenced in Operation Motorman - see their response to Leveson's Ruling - and have thus evaded the threat of Motorman Hearings in August. Yet, more submissions on partial release of Motorman information are expected from Core Participant Victims' counsel and any relevant responses should be completed by September 10th. These, together with the return of Sue Akers to update on police investigations, point to at least one more Hearing in mid-September.

And there are several more 'known unknowns'...

The Motorman Files: It is not explicitly known whether the Motorman material now forms part of the evidence currently being investigated.  However, recent charges specify timescales similar to Steve Whittamore's illegal activities and Sue Akers has made reference to evidence utilised from "previous investigations".  A limited amount of information is known from the Motorman Files, but further unknown lines of enquiry could come from the 17, 000 lines of information estimated by Alex Owens, (para 5.10), or 13,343 lines according to the Information Commissioner, 5,025 clear breaches and 6,330 probable breaches of law (pp 56-57' Robert Jay's Opening Submission Nov 14th 2011)

Glenn Mulcaire was ordered by the UK Supreme Court to disclose the names of those who commissioned him. These names will be disclosed only to victims' legal representatives - and to the Metropolitan Police Service.  It seems clear that the Met are then able to use this information in files for charging decisions which are referred to the Crown Prosecution Servive (CPS).  We do not know if those commissioning Mulcaire include any of those journalists already arrested or charged, but we do know that there are 28 legible 'corner names' in the Mulcaire documents.

The Mulcaire Notebooks comprise c. 11,000 pages, 2,266 taskings, those 28 legible corner names, 5,795 named potential victims, 690 audio recordings, 586 voicemail messages and an unquantified amount of computer material.

According to the Metropolitan Police, News International hacking operation had certainly begun by 2002, Milly Dowler being the first named victim. We, however, have recently seen a document which emanates from May 2001. The police believe that it continued until at least 2009. This belief is not derived from an analysis of the Mulcaire notebooks, which we know were seized back in 2006.

- Mr Jay, Opening 14th Nov 2011, pp86-88

So, it appears that there is unknown, additional corroborating evidence that post-dates Mulcaire's 2006 arrest. This must mean that there are as-yet unknown alleged offences between 2006-2009, for which Mulcaire (and possibly alleged conspirators) may or may not have recently been arrested and/or charged under Operation Weeting.

It is not known in detail what the Operation Nigeria material may contain that is relevant specifically to Hackgate.  It is though known that it is amongst the 750,000 documents in connection to Daniel Morgan's murder, and there is substantial other evidence including audio recordings. Surprisingly not all of these audio recordings have yet been transcribed, according to Tom Watson (House of Commons, 29th February 2012)

It is though known that ALL of the evidence relating to the murder of Daniel Morgan - which includes the Operation Nigeria material - is undergoing a forensic review by the Met, and possibly the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). The use of the term 'forensic' is nicely ambivalent as - technically- it encompasses establishing evidence to the standard necessary for court proceedings.  This follows the collapse at trial of the fifth investigation into Daniel Morgan's violent death, and publication of the official Report into how and why the trial collapsed.  (Confusingly, by a strange coincidences, one of the counsel at trial was 'Jonathan Rees QC')

The Cook/Hames Surveillance:  Two people amongst those arrested in 2012 have previously been reported to have connection or involvement with the obtaining of information and surveillance of Dave Cook and Jacqui Hames in 2002.  Both targets were then serving Met police officers, and Dave Cook at the time was an investigating officer on the fourth investigation into Daniel Morgan's murder.  Two others, Alex Marunchak of News International and Sid Fillery, are not known to have been arrested for any Hackgate allegations. Jonathan Rees, Fillery's former business partner, was in prison at the time of the possible conspiracy.

However, it is now known formally that the Cook/Hames surveillance, and the subsequent confrontation at Scotland Yard with Rebekah Brooks, IS being investigated. This is acknowledged by the Metropolitan Police here (Q28), which is an informative read.

Additionally, included are extensive questions on Daniel Morgan's murder (Q40 Daniel Morgan). These questions are not answered publically, presumably so as not to prejudice the forensic review or any possible future arrests.

A Senior Met officer has apparently made a court appearance in relation to an unknown prosecution.  As there are court-imposed reporting restrictions imposed till October, there is no public knowledge who he (or indeed she...) might be.  One national journalist observed on Twitter, following a list of CPS Operation Weeting charges on July 24th: 

and finally... charges against a quite senior Met Police officer remain secret #openjusticemyarse

The same day another national journalist, whose specialisms include writing on Hackgate, tweeted

A very senior police officer is accused of breaking the law in an area which I cover, but I can't tell you who they are due to a court order...
...But I can tell you it sounds very interesting. Roll on October.

Obviously, these tweets may be merely a plausible coincidence of timing and could be utterly unrelated to Hackgate.

The most recent Operation Tuleta arrests of named and unnamed Sun journalists have been accompanied by Met statements to the effect that they

... relate to a suspected conspiracy involving the gathering of data from stolen mobile phones and is not about seeking journalists to reveal confidential sources in relation to information that has been obtained legitimately.

It is unknown whether the mobile phones involved were allegedly stolen at random, or whether the alleged conspiracy targeted specific mobile phones, potentially stolen to order.  Sue Akers third appearance at the Leveson Inquiry made a short reference to further Operation Tuleta initiatives which may range nationwide.

New allegations/News Corp:  Lastly there is the known unknown of new allegations of wrongdoing being countered by Michael Silverleaf QC on behalf of News Corporation.

The details of the allegations, which could be used to seek punitive damages, should be kept from the public unless they are approved at a Sept. 7 hearing and added to the victims’ so- called generic claims, Judge Geoffrey Vos said

Silverleaf said, "The claims outline “generalized activities which we think are unsustainable...They may change the approach we are taking to the case."  These new allegations could well be connected to the new information, alleged by victims' legal representatives, that

News Corp failed for months to disclose in civil litigation an executive’s e-mail with instructions on hacking the mobile-phone voice mail of a “well-known person. 

How far these 'known unknowns' might reveal themselves over the next few months will continue to make Hackgate very engaging.

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You can contact the author on Twitter @brown_moses or by email at brownmoses@gmail.com

25 Highly Recommended Hackgate Twitter Accounts

Following on from my earlier post covering my highly recommended Arab Spring Twitter accounts I've put together this list covering 25 highly recommended Twitter accounts covering the UK phone hacking scandal and related events and issues.

Campaigns

 

Alastair Morgan - Brother of the murdered private investigator Daniel Morgan and part of the Justice for Daniel campaign.

 

Justice for Daniel - The Twitter account for the Justice for Daniel campaign.

 

News Alliance - Campaigning for media reform.

 

Natalie Peck - Web reporter for the Hacked Off campaign.

 

T Portilho-Shrimpton - Co-ordinator of the Hacked Off campaign.

 

Hacked Off - Twitter account for the Hacked Off campaign. 

 

Rosie R. - Press reform campaigner focused on press reform, good source of news missed by the mainstream media.

 

MMnewsfeedAU - Campaigner focusing on Murdoch related press reform in Australia.

 

Journalists and bloggers 

 

Josh Halliday - Media and technology reporter for the Guardian.

 

Ben Fenton - The hackgate watcher for the Financial Times.

 

Martin Brunt - Sky News Crime Correspondent, good source of breaking news about hacking arrests.

 

Sean O'Neill - Crime Editor of The Times, another good source of breaking news about hacking arrests.

 

Dan Sabbagh - Head of Guardian media and technology, watching the Leveson Inquiry very closely and a good source of information in general.

 

Ross Hawkins - BBC political correspondent watching Leveson.

Keir Simmons - UK Editor for ITV News and another good source of breaking news.

 

Lisa O'Carroll - Freelance Guardian journalist, following the Leveson Inquiry and wider phone hacking scandal.

 

Guido Fawkes - Political blogger occasionally casting an eye over the phone hacking scandal and Leveson.

 

Political Scrapbook - Left wing political blog also with an eye on the phone hacking scandal and Leveson.

 

David Allen Green - AKA Jack of Kent, keeping an legal eye on the Leveson Inquiry and hacking scandal.

 

Alan Rusbridger - Editor of the Guardian

 

Paul Waugh - Editor of PoliticsHomes.

 

Nick Davies - The Guardian journalist most responsible for breaking the phone hacking scandal.

 

Misc

 

Tom Watson MP - The MP who has had more to do with exposing the phone hacking scandal than anyone else.

 

Chris Bryant MP - Another Labour MP with an eye on the phone hacking scandal and Leveson Inquiry.

 

Steven Nott - Leveson Inquiry witness with lots of interesting things to say about Piers Morgan and Trinity Mirror.

 

A Twitter list of the above accounts can be found here. 

 

You can contact the author on Twitter @brown_moses or by email at brownmoses@gmail.com

Private Eye, Gordon Brown, And The Anonymous "Member Of The Public"

Way back in July 2011 Private Eye covered the Guardian's scoop on Gordon Brown's child's medical records being accessed, which seems relevant to today's appearance at the Leveson Inquiry:

The Guardian mucked up its scoop about Gordon Brown being a victim of repeated data thefts by News International hacks with some traditionally sloppy writing.

Its story that the Sun had obtained confidential medical information about Brown's infant son Fraser was true. But it said the Sun had obtained "details from his medical records" - giving the impression that somebody had actually accessed his file, of which there was no evidence.

The Grauniad duly agreed to run a correction. But that wasn't enough for the Sun's managing editor Richard Caseby, who appears to be the last Murdoch executive in the UK who hasn't realised that News International has lost its license to bully. In a number of foul-mouthed phone calls to senior Grauniad execs he demanded a grovelling apology.

Behind the swearing and shouting, the question remains: how did the Sun get that information about Fraser? The Sun says it came from "a member of the public" and that it has an affidavit. It won't, however, identify the member of the public or let anybody read the affidavit, nor will it say how the person was able to discover this confidential medical information.

Fact: the Sun has a close and long-standing relationship with a female health professional at the hospital in question. It appears very likely that the anonymous "member of the public" is her husband. A brief internal inquiry by Fife Health Board concluded lamely that there was no evidence that any of its health workers had accessed Fraser's records.

When the Grauniad questioned the Sun about this, it provoked another round of shouting and swearing from Caseby. At one point he yelled: "Look! You're fucked. Fife Health Board have just cleared our source." Oops! Or, as Mr Caseby would say: "Fucking oops!"

You can contact the author on Twitter @brown_moses or by email at brownmoses@gmail.com

Hackgate for Beginners - Controversial Cops and News Corp.

[Back to The Leveson Inquiry]

During the Hackgate Scandal there have been a number of police officers linked to News Corp.  Here’s a few key names you might see popping up when following the Hackgate Scandal:

Andy Hayman – A former Chief Constable of Norfolk Constabulary and Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations at London's Metropolitan Police, resigning in December 2007 following allegations about expense claims and alleged improper conduct with a female member of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and a female sergeant.  After his resignation he would face criticism, along with Sir Ian Blair, from the press and Independent Police Complaints Commission over the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.

During Operation Caryatid, the investigation into the interception of phone messages at Clarence House by journalists from the News of the World, the officer in charge of the investigation reported to Andy Hayman.  Hayman told the Home Affairs Select Committee in July 2011 that he had met with News International executives during the investigation, something he considered as not unusual as it would have been odd if he had cancelled the dinner.

The Guardian reported that some police sources said it was “unfortunate” that Andy Hayman went on to work for News International as a columnist for The Times, where even with his knowledge of Operation Caryatid he wrote that there were “perhaps a handful” of hacking victims.

John Yates - A former Assistant Commissioner in the London Metropolitan Police Service, who resigned in July 2011 over criticism of a July 2009 review of Operation Caryatid, in which he decided in one 8 hour sessions that there was no fresh material that could lead to convictions. 

John Yates began to receive criticism when the House of Commons home affairs committee began to look into the way in which the review had been carried out, with a number of statements made by John Yates about the review were contradicted by the evidence of the director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer.  He received further criticism when it was revealed that he, Sir Ian Blair, Andy Hayman, and Paul Stephenson had attended a number of meals with representative from various News International newspaper titles around the time of the review. 

In a July 9^th 2011 interview with the Sunday Telegraph he expressed “extreme regret” for failing in the initial phone hacking inquiry, but dismissed any suggestion of corruption or improper relationships on his part.  On July 18^th 2011 he announced his resignation in a brief statement.

In May 2012 a report into phone hacking by the House of Commons select committee found that John Yates and Keri Starmer were culpable for failing to properly investigate evidence of phone hacking when it was first brought to their attention during the Operation Caryatid investigation.  The report concluded: "The police at that time had no interest or willingness to uncover the full extent of the phone-hacking which had taken place."

Paul Stephenson – The former Metropolitan Police Commissioner, who resigned after questions were asked about his relationship with former News International journalist Neil Wallis, who was arrested in July 2011 as part of Operation Weeting.

Paul Stephenson first met Wallis in 2006 during his time at the News of the World, and hired Neil Wallis to provide “strategic communication advice and support” to the Metropolitan Police on a part time basis from October 2009 to September 2010 while the Met's Deputy Director of Public Affairs was on extended sick leave.  Among other things this involved advising the assistant commissioner at the time, John Yates, who had recently reviewed Operation Caryatid in July 2009.

Questions about Neil Wallis’s relationship with the Metropolitan Police began went it emerged that he had worked for the police.  It was revealed that Paul Stephenson had met or dined with Neil Wallis on eight separate occasions between 2006 and 2010, more than any senior executive or journalist on any other newspapers, and that he had accepted £12,000-worth of hospitality at a health spa for which Wallis worked as a PR consultant, and where Rebekah Brooks’ husband Charlie Brooks runs an alternative medicine "kriotherapy" centre.

On July 14^th 2011 Neil Wallis was arrested as part of Operation Weeting, and on July 17^th 2011 Paul Stephenson made a lengthy statement announcing his intention to resign as commissioner, saying that questions surrounding his integrity would otherwise become detrimental to the Met as a whole.

Ray Adams – A former Metropolitan police commander who left the Metropolitan Police and joined the News Corp owned subsidiary NDS UK Ltd after a brief stint at Kroll. 

In July 1987 Adams was being interviewed by police corruption investigators when his close associate DC Alan “Taffy” Holmes shot himself.  DC Holmes was the corrupt police officer who Michael Gillard and Laurie Flynn claim in their book on police corruption “The Untouchables” had been working with the recently murdered Daniel Morgan to expose claims of police corruption that possibly involved passing information to the News of the World.

Later on Ray Adams would be involved with the Stephen Lawrence murder inquiry, and the Macpherson report into the Lawrence murder detailed suspicions held by the Lawrence family about Adam’s alleged links with Clifford Norris, the father of one of Lawrence’s murderers David Norris, and Kenneth Noye, also noting that Adams’ evidence had “strange features” to it.

In March 2012 BBC Panorama claimed that Ray Adams had worked closely with a hacker, Lee Gibling, to set up the website The House of Ill-Compute (THOiC), which was intended to gather cable and satellite hackers to one site run by Lee Gibling, and therefore under the control of Ray Adams.  Lee Gibling claimed that Ray Adams provided him with software and instructions to hack their major rival ONDigital.  Those claims were supported by documents passed on to Panorama.

Later Lee Gibling would also allege that Ray Adams used information from the THOiC website to strong arm a number of cable and satellite companies into giving up internal operational security to NDS UK Ltd, claiming that hacks on THOiC showed those companies weren’t providing adequate security to protect BSkyB’s revenue, and that unless they handed over their operational security operations to NDS BSkyB would remove their channels from those companies.  Once NDS took over operational security they used the information from THOiC to arrest various individuals hacking those companies.

[Index]

You can contact the author on Twitter @brown_moses or by email at brownmoses@gmail.com

Press Release - Tom Mockridge Reacts to James Murdoch's Resignation

I regard it as an honour to be elected as deputy chairman of BSkyB although it is disappointing this event is triggered by the change of role of James Murdoch.

Sky today is the UK's largest media company and a world-class performer. This achievement has been possible only because of two decades of ongoing commitment, passion and entrepreneurial risk-taking by News Corporation, its founder Rupert Murdoch and, for the past near decade, James. Even today I continue to have the privilege of working with individuals at News Corp who began with Sky in 1987 when it was literally a single channel of nothing produced from a prefab building.

James has ensured the challenger spirit that made this possible is ingrained in the company's DNA and I am confident Sky's employees along with Nick, Jeremy and the entire board will continue to strongly develop the business in the interests of all shareholders.

Rupert Murdoch's Press Release on the Resignation of James Murdoch

Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of News Corporation and Chase Carey, President and Chief Operating Officer, News Corporation Regarding James Murdoch’s Decision to Step Down as Chairman of BSkyB

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--“We are grateful for James Murdoch’s successful leadership of BSkyB. He has played a major role in propelling the company into the market-leading position it enjoys today – and in the process has been instrumental in creating substantial value for News Corporation shareholders. We look forward to BSkyB’s continued growth under the leadership of Nicholas Ferguson and Jeremy Darroch and to James’ continued substantial contributions at News Corporation.”

About News Corporation

News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) had total assets as of December 31, 2011 of approximately US$60 billion and total annual revenues of approximately US$34 billion. News Corporation is a diversified global media company with operations in six industry segments: cable network programming; filmed entertainment; television; direct broadcast satellite television; publishing; and other. The activities of News Corporation are conducted principally in the United States, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, Asia and Latin America.

For more information about News Corporation, please visit www.newscorp.com.

Contacts

News Corporation
Julie Henderson, 212-852-7070
jhenderson@newscorp.com
or
Jack Horner, 212-852-7952
jhorner@newscorp.com
or
Miranda Higham, 020 7782 6462
mhigham@newscorp.com

BSkyB's Press Release on James Murdoch's Resignation as Chairman of the Board

RNS Number : 7369A

British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC

03 April 2012



3 April 2012

BSkyB announces Board changes

The Board of British Sky Broadcasting Group plc ('BSkyB' or 'the Company') today announced that James Murdoch has stepped down as Chairman and will continue to serve in his capacity as a Non-Executive Director of the Company.

Mr Murdoch is succeeded as Chairman of BSkyB by Nicholas Ferguson, who was appointed as a Director of the Company in June 2004 and previously served as Deputy Chairman and Senior Independent Non-Executive Director. Tom Mockridge, who joined the Board in February 2009, has been appointed as Deputy Chairman. Andrew Higginson, who has been a Director of BSkyB since September 2004, succeeds Nicholas Ferguson as Senior Independent Non-Executive Director.

In a letter to the Board setting out the reasons for his resignation, Mr Murdoch said: "I have been privileged to serve first as Chief Executive and then as Chairman of this outstanding company and I am proud of what we have achieved over this period."

Mr Murdoch continued: "As attention continues to be paid to past events at News International, I am determined that the interests of BSkyB should not be undermined by matters outside the scope of this Company." He added: "I am aware that my role as Chairman could become a lightning rod for BSkyB and I believe that my resignation will help to ensure that there is no false conflation with events at a separate organisation."

Mr Ferguson commented: "On behalf of the entire Board, I would like to thank James Murdoch for the outstanding contribution he has made both as CEO and Chairman of BSkyB. With his vision, drive and strategic insight, the Company has performed exceptionally and continues to transform itself to take advantage of a broader growth opportunity in home entertainment and communications.

"The Board's support for James and belief in his integrity remain strong. We understand his decision to step aside at this time and we both welcome and look forward to his continued contribution as a non-executive director. The entire Board and management remain fully focused on maintaining BSkyB's strong progress, delivering an outstanding service for customers and creating value for all shareholders."

Further information

Analysts/Investors

Francesca Pierce       Tel: 020 7032 3337

Email:                          investor-relations@bskyb.com

Media

Robert Fraser             Tel: 0207 032 3706

Email:                         corporate.communications@bskyb.com

Notes to Editors

1.   Letter from James Murdoch to the Board of BSkyB

Colleagues,

As you know, my actions as a Director of BSkyB have been governed at all times by what is in the best interests of the Company, its customers and its shareholders. I have been privileged to serve first as Chief Executive and then as Chairman of this outstanding company and I am proud of what we have achieved over this period. We have invested to create choice for many millions of customers, grown our contribution to life in the UK and significantly increased returns for shareholders.

I have now decided that this is the right time for me to step aside as Chairman and, with the support of the Board and shareholders, continue to serve the Company as a Non-Executive Director. As attention continues to be paid to past events at News International, I am determined that the interests of BSkyB should not be undermined by matters outside the scope of this Company.

I have been transparent in my evidence and have behaved ethically at all times. However, there continues to be extensive and voluminous commentary around these matters. I am aware that my role as Chairman could become a lightning rod for BSkyB and I believe that my resignation will help to ensure that there is no false conflation with events at a separate organisation.

BSkyB is a great success story and its positive contribution to British broadcasting, and to the country more broadly, should not be questioned. With a strong Board and outstanding management team, I am confident that the Company will achieve even more in the future. I look forward to making a continued contribution in my role as a Non-Executive Director.

JRM

2.   Biographical notes

Nicholas Ferguson, Chairman

Nicholas Ferguson was appointed as a Director of BSkyB on 15 June 2004, Senior Independent Non-Executive Director on 12 June 2007 and Deputy Chairman on 16 June 2010. Mr Ferguson is Chairman of SVG Capital plc, a publicly-quoted private equity group, and was formerly Chairman of Schroder Ventures. He is also Chairman of the Courtauld Institute of Art.

Andrew Higginson, Senior Independent Non-Executive Director

Andrew Higginson was appointed as a Director of BSkyB on 1 September 2004. Mr Higginson is Chief Executive of Retailing Services and Group Strategy Director of Tesco plc (Tesco). Mr Higginson was appointed to the Board of Tesco in 1997, having previously been the Group Finance Director of the Burton Group plc. Mr Higginson will retire from Tesco plc on 31 August 2012.

Tom Mockridge, Deputy Chairman

Tom Mockridge was appointed as a Director of BSkyB on 10 February 2009. Mr Mockridge was appointed as CEO of News International in July 2011. Previously, he was CEO of Sky Italia and Chief Executive, European Television of News Corporation where he oversaw News Corporation's television operations in Europe, outside the UK. Prior to joining Sky Italia, Mr Mockridge held various roles at Star Group Limited and was previously CEO of Foxtel, News Corporation's Pay-TV joint venture with Telstra.

James Murdoch, Non-Executive Director

James Murdoch was appointed as a Director of the Company on 13 February 2003 and Chairman on 7 December 2007. Between November 2003 and December 2007 he was Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Company, a role he relinquished on his appointment as Non-Executive Chairman. Mr Murdoch is Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Chairman and CEO, International, at News Corporation and is a member of News Corporation's Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Between May 2000 and November 2003, he was Chairman and CEO of Star.

END

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END

BOAGMGGDFFDGZZM

Links between Ray Adams and others involved with the phone hacking scandal

After the allegations made in Panorama's Murdoch's Pirates an eagle eyed Something Awful forum member Daveman23 noted some interesting links between various individuals involved with groups and individuals mentioned in the Panorama documentry, including Ray Adams, former head of security of the Murdoch subsidiary NDS, that’s well worth a read:

That would be former Scotland Yard commander Ray Adams (and Head of Criminal Intelligence - organised crime basically) working for NDS as Head of Security. That's the same Ray Adams who is accused of interfering with the Stephen Lawrence inquiry and investigated for misconduct over his links with drug dealer, murderer and police informant Kenneth Noye and his associate Clifford Norris, father of David Norris (now in jail for Stephen Lawrence's murder). The report into corruption relating to Mr Adams was withheld from the Macpherson report into the murder.


Also the same Ray Adams whose friend DC Alan "Taffy" Holmes shot himself in 1987 whilst Ray was being investigated by a police corruption inquiry. DC Holmes was the policeman working with murdered private detective Daniel Morgan on a whistleblowing case against corruption in the Met (allegations from Gillard and Flynn's "The Untouchables"). Daniel Morgan's murder inquiry in 1987 also seems to have suffered from NI "interest", involving the surveillance of the wife of the chief investigating officer.


Daniel Morgan's business partner, Jonathan Rees, was acquitted of Mr Morgan's murder in 2011 alongside the Vian brothers and James Cook. Another police officer, Sid Fillery, was arrested at the time but later released. Mr Fillery went to take over Mr Morgan's job at Southern Investigations. Mr Fillery also had charges of perverting the course of justice dropped but was later convicted on 15 counts of making indecent images of children.


Mr Rees was being paid by News International to the tune of around £150,000 a year and shared a business address with former senior NI executive (and Northern Ireland editor) Alex Marunchak. Mr Marunchak also likes hackers as he paid one to crack Ian Hurst's (alias Martin Ingram) home PC. Mr Rees also established the firm Abbeycover, at the same address as Southern Investigations, with the former news editor of the News of the World, Greg Wiskiw.


The same names, every time.

 

It makes you ask if there's more connections between individuals involved in various aspects of News Corp's operations.

You can contact the author on Twitter @brown_moses or by email at brownmoses@gmail.com