March 14, 2013

Four journalists arrested over alleged phone-hacking at the Sunday Mirror

Four journalists were arrested today in connection with a suspected conspiracy to intercept telephone voicemails at Mirror Group Newspapers, according to Scotland Yard.

Detectives on Operation Weeting have “identified and are investigating a suspected conspiracy to intercept telephone voicemails at Mirror Group Newspapers”, the Met said this morning.

It is being treated as a separate conspiracy to the two being investigated at the now defunct News of the World newspaper and is believed it mainly concern the Sunday Mirror newspaper in the years 2003 and 2004 – the Met said.

As part of the inquiry four people were arrested at separate addresses at approximately 6am this morning on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept telephone communications contrary to the Criminal Law Act 1997.

All of them are journalists or former journalists on Mirror Group Newspapers titles:

A 40-year-old man, Weeting arrest G1, was arrested in South East London.
A 47-year-old woman, Weeting arrest H1, was arrested in South West London.
A 49-year-old man, Weeting arrest I1, was arrested in South West London.
A 46-year-old man, Weeting arrest J1, was arrested in South West London.

They are being interviewed at various police stations in London and searches are being carried out at a number of addresses.

The Met said: “In due course officers will be making contact with people they believe have been victims of the suspected voicemail interceptions.”

These are the first Weeting phone-hacking arrests to involve Mirror journalists.

On 4 July, last year, former Daily Mirror journalists Greig Box-Turnbull was arrested on 4 July on suspicion of corruption, conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to cause misconduct in a public office.

On 11 July last year, Sunday Mirror crime correspondent Justin Penrose was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause misconduct in a public office.

Both are still on police bail and neither have yet been charged with anything.

Lawyer Mark Lewis said in October that he was planning to sue Trinity Mirror over alleged phone-hacking involving four high-profile individuals: former England football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, Coronation Street actress Shobna Gulati, Abbie Gibson (a former nanny for the Beckham family) and Garry Flitcroft (the former captain of Blackburn Rovers football team).

Topics in this article : Phone Hacking