Murdoch withdraws promise
July 12, 2011, Tuesday
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The News of the World newspaper bought contact details about Britain's royal family from a corrupt policeman and detectives have warned Prince Charles the tabloid might have hacked into his phone, media reported yesterday.
The revelations are the latest in the scandal engulfing the News Corp media empire, as police said some stories emerging on a daily basis were being leaked to "divert attention" and could undermine their inquiries.
The BBC and the London Evening Standard newspaper reported that personal details about the royals, including Queen Elizabeth and her aides, were sold to the News of the World by royal protection officers. They said the disclosure was contained in emails from News International, the UK newspaper arm of News Corp, handed to a law firm in 2007 but only passed to police last month.
The BBC's Business Editor Robert Peston said the emails provided evidence that the now shut-down tabloid was buying information about the royal family's friends and connections from an officer assigned to protect them in return for 1,000 pounds (US$1,591).
"The implication, therefore, is that the security of the head of state was in some sense being jeopardized," Peston added. The Metropolitan Police said it was "extremely concerned and disappointed" about the "continuous release of selected information" which it said could hamper its corruption investigation.
Its team is examining accusations of phone hacking by the News of the World's journalists and allegations some police officers were bribed by papers for information.
"It is our belief that information that has appeared in the media today is part of a deliberate campaign to undermine the investigation into the alleged payments by corrupt journalists to corrupt police officers and divert attention from elsewhere," the Metropolitan Police said.
(Reuters)
The revelations are the latest in the scandal engulfing the News Corp media empire, as police said some stories emerging on a daily basis were being leaked to "divert attention" and could undermine their inquiries.
The BBC and the London Evening Standard newspaper reported that personal details about the royals, including Queen Elizabeth and her aides, were sold to the News of the World by royal protection officers. They said the disclosure was contained in emails from News International, the UK newspaper arm of News Corp, handed to a law firm in 2007 but only passed to police last month.
The BBC's Business Editor Robert Peston said the emails provided evidence that the now shut-down tabloid was buying information about the royal family's friends and connections from an officer assigned to protect them in return for 1,000 pounds (US$1,591).
"The implication, therefore, is that the security of the head of state was in some sense being jeopardized," Peston added. The Metropolitan Police said it was "extremely concerned and disappointed" about the "continuous release of selected information" which it said could hamper its corruption investigation.
Its team is examining accusations of phone hacking by the News of the World's journalists and allegations some police officers were bribed by papers for information.
"It is our belief that information that has appeared in the media today is part of a deliberate campaign to undermine the investigation into the alleged payments by corrupt journalists to corrupt police officers and divert attention from elsewhere," the Metropolitan Police said.
(Reuters)
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