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LONDON - The British Press Complaints Commission is preparing to press on with its investigation into who exactly knew what the royal reporter of the News of the World was doing.
As Clive Goodman begins a four-month prison sentence, MPs are calling for a thorough inquiry and tough action. And the PCC, self-regulator for the press, is asking which senior executives of the News International newspaper were aware of payments made to an investigator who specialised in illegal eavesdropping.
Goodman was convicted of "intrusive, sustained and criminal conduct" at the Old Bailey on Saturday. Glenn Mulcaire, the investigator, was imprisoned for six months. The pair had made more than 600 calls to intercept voicemail messages relating to members of the royal family and other high-profile figures.
Andy Coulson, the NoW editor, has always said he knew nothing about the bugging, but quit after the verdict, saying he was taking "ultimate responsibility".
His resignation is unlikely to satisfy the PCC, whose inquiry was suspended during the court case. Insiders predict it will now resume and demand detailed answers from News International.
John Whittingdale, chairman of Parliament's Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport, confirmed that it, too, was considering an inquiry.
For News International owner Rupert Murdoch, the timing of the sentencing at the Old Bailey could not have been worse. As the media magnate shared a platform with British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown and other decision makers at Davos, the judge in London was censuring his tabloid's "reprehensible" tactics.
The first most people at Wapping say they knew about it was when Goodman was arrested on August 8 last year, and his office raided. Shortly afterwards, his boss, Coulson, was called into a meeting with Murdoch and Les Hinton, executive chairman of News International (and chair of the committee that oversees the PCC's code of practice). The editor was effectively put on probation.
His formal resignation was accepted a fortnight ago, but this was kept secret. "We are all shaken by what has happened," said one senior executive yesterday. "If you are asking, is this the proudest moment in the 163-year history of the News of the World, then no, clearly it's not."
But he had few fears for his 39-year-old former colleague, who not long ago was being tipped as a future editor of The Sun. "I have no doubt Andy will reappear at a high-level position in the media." Tomorrow his replacement will arrive: a former Sunday Mirror editor - and friend of Hinton - Colin Myler.
Those who work for the red top tabloids know only too well the pressures that led Goodman to turn to a private investigator.
The reporter made his reputation with a series of exclusives about Princess Diana, but his stock fell after her death. By early 2005 he was considered by his bosses to be no longer coming up with the right stories. When he was sidelined by the appointment of a younger reporter to cover the royal family, Goodman became desperate. He called Mulcaire, a private investigator who could give him access to the voicemail messages of those closest to the royals.
Their targets were Helen Asprey, who works for the Prince of Wales; Paddy Harverson, communications secretary to Prince Charles; and Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, private secretary to Prince Harry and Prince William. Goodman knew it was "improper, unethical and reprehensible" to hack into these messages, said his QC, but he "did not know it amounted to a criminal offence".
Listening to other people's voicemail can be as simple as using the default security code. Even when users do change their code it can be broken, as Mulcaire knew. The prosecution said there was evidence he posed as a credit controller and got telephone companies to switch PIN codes back to the default. It also suggested he got hold of secret passwords that security staff at telephone companies use to identify themselves to colleagues. With these he could get a PIN that could be used to open up the voicemail files for Asprey, or whoever. Then he could dial her mobile number, tap in the code, and listen to her messages. Some may be from Prince Charles, or his sons, about sensitive issues.
Mulcaire made 122 calls to the mobile numbers of the three royal aides. He also sent PIN codes in text messages to Goodman, who made 487 calls.
The News of the World paid Mulcaire a retainer of £2019 ($5691) a week for "research and information services" and he also earned an extra £12,300 for stories about Prince Harry, his girlfriend and the Duchess of York. This was paid in cash in £500 instalments, but it is unclear whether Goodman told his bosses what this money was for.
The calls for which the men were prosecuted began on November 1, 2005. Five days later, Prince William suspected something when he read in Goodman's News of the World column that he had pulled a tendon in his knee and would have to put off a mountain-rescue course. The prince was puzzled - only he, his private secretary and his knee surgeon knew of this. A few weeks later Lowther-Pinkerton noticed that some new messages on his Vodafone mobile were being shown as old, suggesting someone else had picked them up. Helen Asprey noticed the same thing on her mobile. Calls were made to the police, but Goodman and Mulcaire hacked into the voicemails for at least six more months.
Police arrested Goodman and Mulcaire on the same day.
Both men pleaded guilty when the trial began in November. Goodman apologised to the princes and their household for his "gross invasion of privacy".
- INDEPENDENT
