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Leveson Inquiry: PCC 'mistake' over Andy Coulson | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
The Press Complaints Commission should have questioned Andy Coulson over phone hacking after it emerged at the News of the World, its former director says. | |
Tim Toulmin conceded at the Leveson Inquiry into press standards that the PCC had taken a "restrictive and timorous" approach over the matter. | |
He said the the PCC had thought its powers would have "held little traction" with ex-editor Mr Coulson. | |
He said he had later accepted that this had been a mistake. | |
Mr Toulmin held the post when royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire were jailed for intercepting royal voicemails at the News of the World in 2007. | |
Mr Coulson resigned as editor in the wake of the scandal, saying he took "ultimate responsibility" for what had happened. | |
Mr Toulmin said the PCC had discussed whether to ask Mr Coulson questions after his resignation, but concluded that he would not have felt obliged to comply with such a request. | |
Instead of investigating what had happened, the PCC had run a "forward-looking exercise", Mr Toulmin said. | |
"I later accepted this was a mistake," he said. | "I later accepted this was a mistake," he said. |
Lord Justice Leveson said it would have been "extremely powerful" if Mr Coulson had refused to speak to the PCC. | Lord Justice Leveson said it would have been "extremely powerful" if Mr Coulson had refused to speak to the PCC. |
Editors admonished | Editors admonished |
Mr Toulmin also said the 2009 report which appeared to dismiss Guardian allegations and clear the News of the World of phone hacking was "obviously wrong". | |
"The decision to make a qualitative judgment on the evidence dismissing the Guardian's evidence was a major mistake, there's no doubt about that. It's a great regret that happened." | |
Mr Toulmin said the PCC was a "complaints body" rather than a "regulator". | |
But he expressed "regret" that some people who might have suffered at the hands of the press had never heard of the PCC. | |
Mr Toulmin told the inquiry the commission could "react quickly to complainants or to events". | |
The PCC members did not regard themselves as defending the press, but helping the public remedy problems they had with a free press, he said. | |
Lord Justice Leveson asked if it was an error everyone had made in calling the PCC a self-regulating body when it was not a regulator at all, with which Mr Toulmin agreed. | |
The inquiry is now hearing evidence from current PCC director Stephen Abell. | |
The Leveson Inquiry was set up by Prime Minister David Cameron in July 2011 amid new revelations of phone hacking at the now-defunct News of the World. | The Leveson Inquiry was set up by Prime Minister David Cameron in July 2011 amid new revelations of phone hacking at the now-defunct News of the World. |
The first phase is examining the practices and ethics of the press. A second phase of the inquiry, after a police investigation into phone hacking at the News of the World is complete, will focus on unlawful conduct by the press and the police's initial hacking investigation. | The first phase is examining the practices and ethics of the press. A second phase of the inquiry, after a police investigation into phone hacking at the News of the World is complete, will focus on unlawful conduct by the press and the police's initial hacking investigation. |