UK police: New tabloids under investigation in hacking scandal, 100-plus new claims

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

LONDON — British police are investigating new tabloids in the country’s growing phone hacking scandal, including the Trinity Mirror PLC newspaper group as well as the U.K.’s Express Newspapers, a senior Scotland Yard official said Monday. More than 100 new allegations of “data intrusion” also are being probed.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers’ comments indicated that the scandal, which erupted last year at Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World and has involved hundreds of victims, could end up burning the now-defunct tabloid’s U.K. competitors as well.

Akers gave as an example payments of tens of thousands of pounds (dollars) allegedly made to the same prison officer by all three newspaper groups.

“Our assessment is that there are reasonable grounds to suspect offenses have been committed and that the majority of these stories reveal very limited material of genuine public interest,” Akers told a judge-led inquiry into media ethics.


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/uk-police-were-investigating-100-allegations-of-data-intrusion-linked-to-phone-hack-inquiry/2012/07/23/gJQA38Or3W_story.html

[johnfunk]

1. Drip, drip, drip...

Rupert's going to have another bad week...

[dipsydoodle]

3. Suggest you read the article

which is unassociated with Murdoch's papers.

[dipsydoodle]

2. There was never much doubt this went on outside of Murdoch's rags.

btw - the ref. to public interest : the pursuant of any court cases are determined by our Crown Prosecution Service who are unlikely to proceed with a trial if they suspect the jury would decide the issue at hand was in fact in the public interest.

[enlightenment]

4. Thank you for explaining that phrase.

I was wondering if it was a way of saying that what the red-tops bought was not newsworthy. Your explanation makes much more sense.

[dipsydoodle]

5. The plan is or at least was

Last edited Wed Jul 25, 2012, 05:27 AM - Edit history (1)

for all relevant trials to occur in as closely as possible to one and the same time at which point there will a complete lock down on the publication of any evidence - that's to help prevent any of those trials getting screwed up by sub judice. I think the plan is for sometime during 2013 for this lot.

Being "in the public interest" can't be used as a defense but as I pointed out what the jury think/believe is a different matter.

[enlightenment]

6. Interesting.

It sounds like it is being planned out well with an attempt to be fair to both sides.

I'll have to do a bit of research (since I'm no lawyer!) and discover if there is a similar "in the public interest" concept in the US. I'm sure there is - at least from the perception point of view, if not the legal one.

Again, I appreciate the information. It is very helpful.