Former News of the World chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck secretly taped colleagues to compile a dossier of evidence which he says clears his name, the Evening Standard reports.
Thurlbeck also took to the airwaves yesterday to profess his innocence.
According to the Standard, Thurlbeck began compiling the dossier after the “For Neville” email emerged in July 2009 and appeared to implicate him in the hacking scandal.
Thurlbeck, who has lodged a complaint for unfair dismissal after being sacked by the News of the World, said: “The News of the World’s suppression of this dossier led to two years of lingering suspicion resulting in my arrest.
“And by depriving News International of the dossier which cleared my name and incriminated others, it led to my unfair dismissal. I was dismissed because Mulcaire erroneously named me as a person who had authorised him to hack the phones of an individual, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
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“However, he did this in order to protect the real individual on the paper, his very good friend of many years standing.”
Yesterday it was revealed that Thurlbeck had held a recent meeting with Tom Watson which was recounted by the Labour MP yesterday.
Thurlbeck, who has been arrested and nailed on suspicion of intercepting voicemails, revealed on Wednesday that he has turned down an offer to become a police witness in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
He said: “I have informed Scotland Yard that while I fully understand and respect the reason for their request of me to give evidence for the Crown in any prosecution arising from Operation Weeting, it is my opinion that a detailed and forensic inquiry into my working methods by what is a highly professional police unit will fully exonerate me.”
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