Dead soldiers' families 'hacked'

As the News of the World (NoW) phone hacking scandal continues to escalate, what are the key questions it poses?

What is the story about?

The increasingly complex fallout of a 2005 court case.
The News of the World's (NoW) then royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire were jailed for hacking into the mobile phones of royal aides.
Since then, a series of police inquiries and legal cases have explored just how widespread the practice was, with implications for the police, celebrities, politicians and even victims of crime and their families.
On 6 July, the prime minister pledged a full inquiry into hacking and the Metropolitan Police chief vowed that officers who took payments from NoW publisher News International would be disciplined.

How did phone hacking first emerge?

A relatively innocuous News of the World story about Prince William's knee injury was the first indication something untoward was going on at the Sunday tabloid.
The story, published in November 2005, prompted fears that the voicemail messages of those closest to him were being intercepted.
A police inquiry began.

What was the outcome?

In January 2007, Goodman and Mulcaire were jailed for hacking.
Then-editor Andy Coulson resigned but claimed he did not know about the practice.

What happened next?

It was not until two-and-a-half years later, in July 2009, that the claims resurfaced again.
The Guardian newspaper reported that NoW journalists had been involved in the hacking of up to 3,000 celebrities, politicians and sports stars' phones.
But the police and the Press Complaints Commission found no new evidence of phone hacking.

What is the relevance now?

The scandal resonated with the public more deeply when it emerged that victims of crime and their families - including relatives of the 7/7 bombing victims, murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler and the parents of murdered Soham girls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman - were among those alleged to have had their phones hacked.
It followed claims by more and more celebrities and public figures who alleged their phones had been hacked.
Some have launched legal action against the paper or the police for allegedly failing to investigate.

Why does all this matter?

It is against the law to intercept voicemail messages on mobile phones. If NoW executives acted illegally by ordering Mulcaire to hack the phones then they could face charges.
The ongoing allegations also have the potential to damage the police, politicians and Rupert Murdoch's business interests.

How has News International responded to news of an inquiry?

News International said it welcomed the prime minister's pledge for a wide-ranging public inquiry into standards in the media.
It also pledged to co-operate with the police inquiry.
On 10 April 2011 an official apology was made on the NoW website and on page two of the newspaper for intercepting voicemails between 2004 and 2006.
It said its past behaviour was a "matter of genuine regret".
The company has also made several compensation pay-outs to celebrities.

So who alleges they were hacked?

Aside from members of the Royal family's staff, the Goodman case revealed publicist Max Clifford, Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor, Lib Dem MP Simon Hughes, model Elle Macpherson and sports agent Sky Andrew had all been victims.
Mr Taylor and Mr Clifford brought private cases against the NoW and received reported settlements of £700,000 and £1m respectively before key documents were revealed in court.
More recently it emerged victims of crime and their relatives had been caught up in the scandal.

What evidence is there to support these claims?

A lot of the allegations come down to the Met's original investigation into Mulcaire. Detectives recovered files from Mulcaire's home which referred to a long list of public figures and celebrities.
Those celebrities who had it confirmed from the Met that their personal details were in Mulcaire's possession took action.
News International has also passed e-mails to the police which appear to show that payments to police officers were authorised by Mr Coulson during his tenure as editor.
Football pundit Andy Gray accepted £20,000 in compensation, plus undisclosed costs, over voicemail interceptions. Sienna Miller formally settled for £100,000 damages and legal costs and received a formal apology.
Others taking action include politician George Galloway, TV presenter Chris Tarrant, jockey Kieren Fallon, and interior designer Kelly Hoppen.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott, former Met assistant commissioner Brian Paddick, Labour MP Chris Bryant and journalist Brendan Montague have all sought a judicial review into the police's handling of the case.
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown asked police if he was targeted, as did RMT union leader Bob Crow.
Former senior Scotland Yard officer Ali Dizaei was told by the Met his phone could have been hacked in 2006.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott has said he believes he was targeted by hackers

So how many could there be?

In July 2009, the Guardian newspaper claimed NoW journalists were involved in hacking up to 3,000 public figures.
Its list of alleged victims also included Labour MP and former minister Tessa Jowell, celebrity cook Nigella Lawson, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, London Mayor Boris Johnson, comedian Lenny Henry, singer George Michael, late reality TV star Jade Goody, Paul McCartney's ex-wife Heather Mills, ex-footballer Paul Gascoigne, and Hugh Grant.

What happened then?

John Yates, acting deputy commissioner at the Met, was ordered to "establish the facts". He decided there would be no further investigation because where there had been evidence that people had been subjected to any form of phone hacking, they had been informed.
But in January 2011, amid continuing pressure, the Met said it was reopening the investigation and launched Operation Weeting to look at "significant new information". Senior barrister Alison Levitt QC was brought in to re-examine everything gathered by the police.
The Met's move came after the NoW sacked Ian Edmondson, one of its assistant editors, after four e-mails relating to phone hacking were allegedly found on the newspaper's systems.
Mr Edmondson and the paper's chief reporter, Neville Thurlbeck, who was also arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept communications, were released on bail until September 2011. Days later, another senior NoW reporter - James Weatherup - was also arrested on suspicion of the same offence.
Three months earlier, the New York Times published an article claiming that hacking was widespread at the NoW.
One former reporter, Sean Hoare, also told the BBC that phone tapping was "endemic" in the industry. He also alleged that Andy Coulson, the former NoW editor who went on to become David Cameron's spokesman, personally requested him to do it.
The paper denied the allegations.

What about Andy Coulson?

Andy Coulson blamed coverage of the phone-hacking story for his resignation

Mr Coulson was editor when Clive Goodman was convicted. He resigned, saying he took responsibility for something that had happened on his watch.
But in November 2010 detectives interviewed Mr Coulson as a witness - and two months later he quit his post at Downing Street, citing coverage of the scandal.
That led to questions about the judgement of PM David Cameron - but he said Mr Coulson had been "punished twice for the same offence".

Where does all this leave News International?

All of these developments challenge the NoW's previously held position that Goodman was a lone "rogue reporter" who was the only member of staff who knew about hacking.
In February 2010 the cross-party House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee accused the NoW of "collective amnesia". It said it was "inconceivable" that no-one at the tabloid had known.
But many public figures, and more recently Labour, called for a wider investigation.
Among them was media lawyer Mark Stephens who said hacking was endemic among tabloids with almost every news organisation involved at some level or another.
A lawyer for the Dowler family, Mark Lewis, said after it emerged Milly's phone has been hacked: "The fact that they were prepared to act in such a heinous way that could have jeopardised the police investigation and gave them false hope is despicable."
He urged a full inquiry, which News International now faces.
There could even be two inquiries into phone hacking - one into the police handling of the original investigation in the middle of the last decade, and one into the actions of the media.
Or there could be one all-encompassing inquiry, led by a judge.
The inquiry will only start when the police investigation has concluded.
Calls have been made for Rebekah Brooks, editor of the News of the World at the time of the alleged hacking of Milly's phone, to resign from her current job as chief executive of News International.
Mrs Brooks, who said she would not stand down, called claims of hacking Milly's phone "almost too horrific to believe" and pledged the "strongest possible action" if they prove to be true. She stressed she had no knowledge of the practice.
But the company faces further problems.
A string of businesses have suspended or cancelled advertising with the paper, pending the newspaper's investigation and response. Among them are Co-operative Group, Lloyds, Halifax, Vauxhall, Virgin Holidays and car maker Ford.

What exactly is the law on hacking?

It is illegal to gain access to another person's telephone under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (Ripa). There are also offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
The UK's security services can apply for warrants to hack phones.

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