This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-16029848

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Leveson Inquiry: Ex-ICO investigator Owens recalled Leveson Inquiry: Ex-ICO deputy denies 'too big' claim
(about 2 hours later)
The judge-led inquiry into media ethics has recalled a former investigator at the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to give evidence. A former deputy at the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) says he cannot recall saying the media was "too big" to tackle over illegal practices.
Alexander Owens has been recalled after appearing at Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry in London last Wednesday. Francis Aldhouse has been addressing Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry in London into media ethics.
Mr Owens accused former ICO deputy head Francis Aldhouse of refusing to pursue media groups over the illegal purchase of confidential information. A former ICO investigator earlier said that Mr Aldhouse had declined to pursue newspapers over the illegal purchase of confidential information.
Mr Aldhouse is set to appear at the inquiry later. But Mr Aldhouse said he could not recall the meeting referred to.
Victims' lawyer Charlotte Harris and the author of a book on the News of the World newspaper, Peter Burden, will also appear. href=" http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Transcript-of-Afternoon-Hearing-30-November-2011.pdf" >Addressing the inquiry on Wednesday, former ICO lead investigator Alexander (Alec) Owens said that an investigation into allegations of offences under the Data Protection Act by the British press, known as Operation Motorman, had shown a paper trail connecting newspapers to the illegal purchase of confidential information.
Mr Owens, a retired policeman, was the lead investigator for the ICO when it conducted Operation Motorman - an investigation into allegations of offences under the Data Protection Act by the British press. He told the inquiry that evidence of the illegal accessing of private data was recovered in a raid on the Hampshire home of the private investigator Steve Whittamore in March 2003. Mr Owens said that he had urged Mr Aldhouse and the then information commissioner Richard Thomas to go after the newspapers.
href=" http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Transcript-of-Afternoon-Hearing-30-November-2011.pdf" >Addressing the inquiry on Wednesday, he said there was was a paper trail connecting newspapers to the illegal purchase of confidential information. But Mr Aldhouse said that after hearing Mr Owens's evidence he had consulted printouts of his old electronic diary and could not find a record of the meeting his former colleague had described. "If there was a meeting it would have been a very casual one and a very short one and certainly not scope for a full briefing," he told the inquiry.
Mr Owens said that he had urged Mr Aldhouse and the then information commissioner Richard Thomas to go after the papers but that Mr Aldhouse had described media groups as "too big" to take on. Mr Aldhouse said if he had seen the information on the media's illegal accessing of data as it had been laid out to the inquiry his view would probably have been "we really ought to find a way of pursuing this".
The inquiry has this morning been going through data relating to his evidence. He said Mr Owens's claim that he had said the media was too big was "simply not my view. Certainly not the language I would have used".
He said he did not fear the media and that the comment attributed to him by Mr Owens did not reflect the way he had dealt with the media.
Mr Aldhouse said that he had not run Operation Motorman - his focus being more on policy work. "I supervised the person who ran the investigations department," he said.
"Richard Thomas decided that he wanted to pursue the route of going to the PCC and writing to Sir Christopher Mayer," Mr Aldhouse said. "It's for the commissioner to decide how he runs the office. And it's worth considering that the commissioner is a one-man band and if the commissioner decides to take a route, so be it."
'Grant and Hurley'
The inquiry earlier went through documents and electronic records from the ICO investigation with Mr Owens. Lord Justice Leveson said that the documents revealed "a vast amount of personal data".
"The documents detail the names of titles, specific journalists inferentially making the request, a wide range of people from public life and provides for those individuals," he said. But Lord Justice Leveson decided that it was not in the public interest to display the evidence to the public and media.
Counsel to the inquiry Robert Jay QC said Mr Whittamore's notebooks included ex-directory searches relating to "our national team, it wouldn't be fair to say which, but then it's rather obvious".
The inquiry heard that the notebooks revealed that "Grant" and "Hurley" were subject to an area search and a vehicle registration search. Mr Owens said he visited Hugh Grant at his office but that Mr Grant could not remember the car in question and said perhaps he was standing next to it.
Mr Owens described to the inquiry the blagging techniques of a former soldier and biker known as "Taff Jones", who was employed by Mr Whittamore to obtain ex-directory numbers from telephone companies. He repeated the conversation he said took place between Mr Aldhouse and himself about investigating media groups further.
The author of a book on News of the World, Peter Burden, will appear later.
Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry is looking at the "culture, practices and ethics of the media" and whether the self-regulation of the press works.Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry is looking at the "culture, practices and ethics of the media" and whether the self-regulation of the press works.
Prime Minister David Cameron established the inquiry in July after it was revealed that the voicemail of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler may have been hacked while she was missing.Prime Minister David Cameron established the inquiry in July after it was revealed that the voicemail of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler may have been hacked while she was missing.
A second phase of the inquiry will commence after the conclusion of a police investigation into NoW phone hacking and any resultant prosecutions. It will examine the extent of unlawful conduct by the press and look at the police's initial hacking investigation.A second phase of the inquiry will commence after the conclusion of a police investigation into NoW phone hacking and any resultant prosecutions. It will examine the extent of unlawful conduct by the press and look at the police's initial hacking investigation.