How A Murdered Schoolgirl's Hacked Voicemail May Cost Murdoch His British Ambitions

How A Murdered Schoolgirl's Hacked Voicemail May Cost Murdoch His British Ambitions

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Murdoch's paper The News of the World has been accused of hacking into the voicemail of Milly Dowler, a 13-year-old schoolgirl who went missing in 2002. It was discovered later that she was sexually assaulted then murdered. Allegedly, after the tabloid hacked into Milly's voicemail, they then went onto delete messages when the mailbox became full. Not only did they destroy evidence, including messages left in the time surrounding Milly's disappearance, but when friends and relatives realized

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Boy, oh boy! I hope Murdoch get what is coming to him. His corporation should be punish for deleting the messages on that murdered missing girl's email. Hopefully this will end his take over of BskyB. I send the family of the missing girl my condolence and hope they find whoever brought pain upon their family & bring him to justice. Seems like the hacking of email of this girl is illuminating more light upon what other serious hacking Murdoch's corporation may know about.

The Guardian writes:

The Dowler family then granted an exclusive interview to the News of the World in which they talked about their hope, quite unaware that it had been falsely kindled by the newspaper's own intervention. Sally Dowler told the paper: "If Milly walked through the door, I don't think we'd be able to speak. We'd just weep tears of joy and give her a great big hug."

Here's why this matters for Murdoch:

The Milly Dowler murder trial only recently finished, and may be one of the most prominent murder trials in the last 10 years in the UK. The Dowler family are hugely sympathetic victims.
All the major British broadsheet papers, even The Times of London (owned by Murdoch), ran with the story on their front page. Prime Minister David Cameron has said that if true, the hacking was a "truly dreadful act." Cameron has now called for a police inquiry into the hacking.
Rebekah Brooks, Murdoch's right-hand lady, was editor of the News of the World at the time. This is the first time Brooks has been implicated in any phone-hacking cases. Brooks is Chief Executive of News International, News Corp's British wing.
Murdoch is in the middle of the takeover of British satellite TV monopoly BSkyB, a move already fraught with controversy. Attempts are now underway to halt the takeover.

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the depths that some people will lower themselves to is beyond me, what must her family have been going threw

hope they rot...

I hope this brings an end to his ambitions in getting a complete strangle hold on Sky (Sky is biased enough as it is)

As for the case I hope they come down hard on these types of practice.. really despicable behaviour.

I have a feeling that as per usual Rupert will wheel out some sacrificial lambs, they will have their lives and careers ruined and he will complete the takeover and add another few billion profit to his empire. Sickening and wrong yes however that is the world that we live in

reply to post by On the level


It seems completely unclear to me how you justify hacking into someone's voice-mail, let alone taking the liberty of clearing all their messages.

Add the fact that she was the victim in a murder case, and there's plenty of room for charges against the perpetrators.

Of course, the fact that this is a Murdoch-owned tentacle is circumstantial; unless someone will provide evidence that hacking through privacy protection is a 'standard' Murdoch practice.....

Anyone with an ounce of common sense would realize that deleting those messages could have a profound effect on the case.

Not only stupid and negligent, but most certainly illegal. Somebody's head should get put on a platter for this one.

I almost passed over this post... glad I reread the title.

I guess we already know how low the tabloid papers and paparazzi are willing to go to sell their papers, but this goes beyond the realm of morally reprehensible and into that of blatantly illegal.

As MaxMars has pointed out, this will likely lead to low-level "journalists" (and the word is used very lightly!), and perhaps regional-level administration being punished, I doubt that this will implicate Murdoch or affect News Corp. as a whole.

Of course, it appears that this is far from an isolated occurrence, and if it can be shown that this is the modus operandi of the entire corporation, well, that might lead to some very interesting legal proceedings.

In any event, it is extremely disturbing to that this is a business model being used by News Corp., and one can only surmise that it is also being used by other "news agencies" (again... used very lightly!).

How low some people are willing to go to make a few bucks.

Sadly disgusted,

the Billmeister

reply to post by MIDNIGHTSUN


Let this be the signal to boycott the msm gutter-trash newspapers!
News of the world, all the the other associated ones etc.

They've sunk to low this time!

Yes it keeps getting worse, looks like the families of the Soham girls have also been tapped, no doubt the parents of Madeline Maccan will have been targeted too. They really do fit the description of the "gutter" press. Good to see people are boycotting the NofW, apparently Ford have removed their advertising.

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire police said they were aware that the families of Wells and Chapman were contacted by the Metropolitan police about two months ago.

It is believed the families were warned there was evidence to suggest they were targeted by Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who was formerly employed by the paper.

www.guardian.co.uk...

reply to post by Maxmars

Of course, the fact that this is a Murdoch-owned tentacle is circumstantial; unless someone will provide evidence that hacking through privacy protection is a 'standard' Murdoch practice.....

The fact that none of the other tabloids have reported on this case suggests the practice has been rife throughout tabloid journalism. I see the daily mail has only just started to cover this story today. It has ignored the phone hacking story and with the other tabloids, their silence speaks volumes. The only paper that has been carrying the story is the guardian, who broke the news a few years ago now. So I would say hacking is probably 'standard' tabloid journalism in the UK. It's a murky world.

Originally posted by thoughtsfull
I hope this brings an end to his ambitions in getting a complete strangle hold on Sky (Sky is biased enough as it is)

Is it?

I find it the most unbiased news channel in the UK. It's the BBC that's biased.

Differing opinions I guess.

As for this, it's shocking that it happened, especially tampering with potential evidence which in itself is a crime but remember, it wasn't the actual newspaper that did the hacking, it was a private investigator on behalf of the journalists told by the editor to do what was necessary to get something to report on.

Therefore I personally wouldn't blame the News of the World as a whole, just the individuals involved in this case.

I think they are all biased to one degree or other.. and in this case Sky certainly isn't as bad as it could be.. hence my concern over this take over...

As for the case It's not as tho the phone hacking stories surrounding the paper are not well know... and still they ran with the stories.. which is the part that leaves me feeling they are equally complicit in this mess..

Just to keep this updated. Now seems that the police were taking payments from the News of the world for stories. Their has been collusion with successive governments and the metropolitan police.

News international has uncovered e-mails that indicate payments were made to the police by the News of the World, during the editorship from 2003-7 of Andy Coulson.

The e-mails, which appear to show that Mr Coulson authorised the payments, have been passed to the police.

www.bbc.co.uk...

Just when you think the gutter press can sink any lower
Along comes Murdock to dip beneath the bar..
How this creature has so much influence in the uk baffles me..
You all realise our primeminister is in bed with this grubby organisation
dont you..
Just wait for them to say we had no knowledge of hacking or a few of
his lesser minions are sacrificed in his name..
Im a peace abiding human but this gutter rat should be swinging from
a rope..
Absolutely appalling
Regards
plazmuh

They also allegedly hacked the voicemail of the parents of those two girls Ian Huntly killed (Hollie and Jessica?) and Sarah Payne's parents.

This is an absolute turd storm!

Emergency debate in the house all afternoon.

Cameron not only brought Andy Coulson into his inner circle, but has been schmoozing away, horse riding and xmas lunching with the lovely Rebeka Wade/Brooks.

Even some Tories are fuming.

It'll be very interesting how far up the ladder the prosecutions will go. Old Rupey will be fine I'm sure, but his son?

waheyhey.... Heres praying to a god I don't believe in

This live blog covering the debate has some gold comments.

Grauniad live blog

Hopefully this won't be a one week wonder and the bastards will get what's been coming to them for 30 years.

And not just Rupey's lot either. Daily mail next, please.........


This is a goody

want to inform the House of further evidence that suggests Rebekah Brooks knew about the unlawful tactics of News of the World as early as 2002, despite all her denials yesterday. Rebekah Brooks was present at a meeting with Scotland Yard when police officers pursing a murder investigation provided her with evidence that her newspaper was interfering with the pursuit of justice. They gave her the name of another executive at News International, Alex Marunchak.

Then

The meeting, which included Dick Fedorcio of the Metropolitan police, told her that News of the World staff were guilty of interference and party to using unlawful means to attempt to discredit a police officer and his wife. She was told of actions by people she paid to expose and discredit David Cook and his wife Jackie Haines so that Mr Cook would be prevented from completing an investigation into a murder. News International were paying people to interfer with police officers and were doing so on behalf of known criminals. We know now that News International had entered the criminal underworld.

And to finish:

And was Mr Marunchak dismissed. No. He was promoted.

Beautiful...

Double

The above quotes are external text...



A little more on Wade/Brooks from The Eye:

Private Eye Online

The harpy hung on Both in her current role and in her previous jobs as editor of the News of the World and later the Sun, she was too closely associated with the hacking scandal and NI’s spurious denials to remain. It was time, Rupert told his flame-haired protégée, with the faintest hint of a quaver in his voice, to move on. Rebekah pleaded with the Dirty Digger not to be cut adrift and begged her friend David Cameron to intercede on her behalf. Following this intervention Murdoch, who is quite an old softie at heart, relented. The harpy hung on.

Just watching evening news on ITV..

Murdoch says events are deplorable and unacceptable..

Full investigation could involve fleet street and the police force.
Police supposedly accepted back hand payments by the NotW.

so far, hacked phones include the Milly Dowler case, the Soham murders and the 7/7 bombing.

BBC news online reports;

E-mails allegedly showing officers were paid tens of thousands of pounds have been seen by the BBC's Robert Peston. The company handed them over amid mounting allegations of phone hacking by the News of the World. Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corporation, the parent company of News International, said: "Recent allegations of phone hacking and making payments to police with respect to the News of the World are deplorable and unacceptable. "I have made clear that our company must fully and proactively co-operate with the police in all investigations and that is exactly what News International has been doing and will continue to do under Rebekah Brooks' leadership," he added, in a statement.

www.bbc.co.uk...

Murdoch should be brought down... It's his company after all..

Prime minister doing the usual blurb about what must be done and how everyone in the country must be revolted by what they've heard and seen in the news..

Ed Milliband saying nobody has denied any allegations about phone hacking..

An MP stating in the house of commons how Murdoch and his business has grown too powerful and has become corrupted by that power..

That's the latest on this situation.. I hope they nail them all to the wall.. not just for the phone hacking but for all the back door sneaky nastiness of it all and how the hacking has prevented the guilty parties being caught earlier..

One thing that strikes me though is why the 7/7 bombings are involved now? Why would anyone be interested in hacking the phones of anyone involved that event? No specific persons have been named as to whether or not their phones were hacked....

Is this a good method to hide some evidence relating to the 7/7 or was there a legitimate reason behind the suggested hacking of phones from that day? It does not make much sense to me as to why anyone would be interested in the last calls or texts of people on that day.. Even if the 7/7 event really was carried out by terrorists, why would their phone numbers be given out and made available to the press for them to hack?

Surely, if you're going to set up an event such as that then you're going to use pay-as-you-go sims and not have a phone on a monthly contract... something don't smell right on this end of things... But as to the murder cases then it was obviously in order to promote the sales of newspapers...

unless...

The conspiracy side of me thinks this is just good cop/bad cop to drive down the share prices making it cheaper for old Rupert to purchase.