Mail on Sunday used investigator after he was charged, editor admits
The Mail on Sunday continued to use a private investigator after he was charged with illegally obtaining private information including criminal and medical records, the paper's editor has admitted at the Leveson inquiry.
Lord Justice Leveson heard that the Mail on Sunday spent £20,000 on the private detective's services over a number of years and did not stop using him entirely until 18 months after he was arrested, and seven months after he was charged, in relation to the illegal trading of private information.
Steve Whittamore was arrested in March 2003 in relation to trading illegally obtained information with the press including mobile phone numbers, car registration plates and criminal records, following the information commissioner's Operation Motorman investigation.
When it became apparent that Whittamore was going to be prosecuted the paper issued "instructions that enormous care should be taken when commissioning Whittamore".
full: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/jan/11/mail-on-sunday-investigator
