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Leveson Inquiry: Ex-ICO deputy denies 'too big' claim Leveson Inquiry: Detective hired to follow Grant
(about 3 hours later)
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. A private detective was hired by journalists to uncover personal details about celebrities including actor Hugh Grant, the Leveson Inquiry has heard.
Francis Aldhouse has been addressing Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry in London into media ethics. Inquiry counsel Robert Jay QC said a "treasure trove" of data was found on searches ordered by journalists when Steve Whittamore's records were seized.
A former ICO investigator earlier said that Mr Aldhouse had declined to pursue newspapers over the illegal purchase of confidential information. The inquiry heard that Whittamore had been asked to do an address search and vehicle registration check on Mr Grant.
But Mr Aldhouse said he could not recall the meeting referred to. He was convicted of illegally accessing data and passing it to journalists.
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. The inquiry went through documents and electronic records seized from Whittamore during the Information Commissioner's Office's 2003 inquiry into allegations of offences under the Data Protection Act by the British press, known as Operation Motorman.
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. Former Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) lead investigator Alexander (Alec) Owens was recalled after href=" http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Transcript-of-Afternoon-Hearing-30-November-2011.pdf" >giving evidence last Wednesday.
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. Lord Justice Leveson said the documents seized from Whittamore and discussed as part of Mr Owens' evidence 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.
Mr Jay said 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.
"We went to see Mr Grant at his offices because a VRM comes up against his name. As it turned out he couldn't recall this and possibly thought he may have been in a friend's car or talking to somebody standing by that car."
One newspaper paid £800 in 2002 for the June 2001 phone bill of an unnamed sports star from a national side, the inquiry was told.
Mr Owens described to the inquiry the blagging techniques of a former soldier and biker known as "Taff Jones", who was employed by Whittamore to obtain ex-directory numbers from telephone companies.
'Too big' claim
Mr Owens reiterated a claim he made on Wednesday that he had urged former ICO deputy Francis Aldhouse and the then information commissioner Richard Thomas to go after the newspapers but that Mr Aldhouse had said the news groups were "too big" to tackle.
He referred to the conversation he said took place between Mr Aldhouse and himself about investigating media groups further.
Mr Aldhouse later told the inquiry he could not recall the conversation or the meeting at which Mr Owens alleged it had occurred.
He 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 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".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".
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 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.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.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.""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' Fake sheikhs
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 inquiry later heard from Peter Burden author of the book News of the World? Fake Sheikhs and Royal Trappings.
"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. Mr Burden said the culture at News of the World (NoW) did not demand "the relevance of truth".
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 notion that running a story that was going to do considerable harm to somebody - even though no illegality was involved - was irrelevant to them. They didn't care how much harm they did. Indeed... the more damage they did the better."
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. Former NoW journalist Mazher Mahmood carried out a number of investigations for the paper using a "fake sheikh" disguise. His targets ranged from the Countess of Wessex to former England football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson and the NoW claimed he brought about the conviction of more than 250 criminals.
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. Mr Burden said that as time went on it appeared to become easier for Mr Mahmood "to take the bare bones, the scintilla of a story, and turn it into a much bigger story". He said that a story about a plot to kidnap Victoria Beckham "was based on nothing at all other than Mazher Mahmood's inventiveness".
The author of a book on News of the World, Peter Burden, will appear later. Some stories, he said, led to people being arrested and locked up on remand, before the case against them collapsed.
Mr Burden told the inquiry that a statutory body should replace the Press Complaints Commission (PCC). He said politicians who chose not to give the PCC statory powers "were those who were frightened of the press".
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.