Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2010 7:37 pm Post subject: George Galloway sues over NoTW ‘phone hacking’
George Galloway sues over NoW ‘phone hacking’
1 September 2010
By Sarah Limbrick, Oliver Luft
pressgazette.co.uk
Former MP George Galloway is demanding damages in excess of £300,000 from the publisher of the News of the World claiming he was embroiled in the phone hacking scandal at the newspaper. Galloway, who stepped down before the election in May after serving one term as Respect MP for Bethnal Green, has launched a legal action against News Group Newspapers claiming his voicemail was illegally intercepted between February 2005 and August 2006. He is also seeking damages from private investigator Glenn Mulcaire claiming he was involved in intercepting his messages.
News Group and Mulcaire’s actions amounted to a gross invasion for Galloway and for those who left him messages, he says. Galloway is seeking injunctions banning News Group from intercepting his voicemail and from using the information taken from messages, he wants it to reveal details of to whom information was supplied and he wants an inquiry into damages. In a writ filed at the High Court, Galloway claims he was one of numerous victims who had messages intercepted by people working for the Sunday newspaper.
News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman and Mulcaire were jailed in February 2007 for hacking into the phone messages of Royal aides. The News of the World maintained that Goodman was the only reporter on the paper involved in phone-hacking. Mulcaire admitted to having listening to the messages of publicist Max Clifford, football agent Skylet Andrew, chairman of the Professional Footballers Association Gordon Taylor, Simon Hughes MP and supermodel Elle Macpherson.
Galloway disputes claims that the voicemail hacking was a one-off clandestine affair between Goodman and Mulcaire. The writ claims: "Mr Goodman's acquisition of confidential personal information from a private investigator was not an isolated incident for News of the World journalists, contrary to the repeated assertions from NGN." It states: "News of the World journalists frequently purchased confidential information from private investigators that has been unlawfully and/or illegally obtained." In the writ, issued by solicitors Farooq Bajwa and Co, Galloway claims Mulcaire carried out “voicemail interception on an industrial scale” and that he believes Mulcaire supplied information to other employees of the paper, not only to Goodman.
Galloway says he plans to rely on a report by the Information Commissioner following Operation Motorman in 2002 to show that News of the World journalists often bought confidential personal information from private investigators that was “unlawfully and illegally obtained”. The report found that one investigator, Steve Whittamore, had supplied personal information to 305 journalists, including 19 at the News of the World, Galloway says. By allegedly hacking into his voicemails, News Group is likely to have found information which would be a source for current or future stories, or potential lines of inquiry for other stories, the writ says.
In the writ, Galloway notes that the News of the World has paid around £700,000 to Gordon Taylor, and settled a claims brought by Max Clifford in relation to similar voicemail hacking claims. Galloway says in the writ that he does not know the full scale of the alleged phone interceptions, pending the disclosure of information from the News of the World, the Met Police and the Information Comissioner. Golloway notes in the writ that he was the subject of a News of the World undercover operation in 2006, which did not result in any prosecution. At the time, the News of the World brought out an injunction to prevent Galloway publishing photos of the paper's investigations editor Mazher Mahmood.
A spokeswoman for the News of the World said: "We can confirm Mr Galloway has issued proceedings against NGN in connection with alleged voicemail interception by Mr Glenn Mulcaire. The News of the World has absolutely no knowledge or evidence that Mr Galloway's voicemail was accessed. We cannot comment further until we receive clarification from the Metropolitan Police on this matter."
Phone-hacking row returns to haunt Cameron's chief spin doctor
By Ian Burrell,
3 September 2010
The Independent
The Prime Minister's media adviser Andy Coulson faces being summoned to court to give evidence over further allegations of phone-hacking by reporters from the News of the World during the time he was editing the newspaper. The Independent understands that George Galloway, the former MP, has instructed his lawyers not to consider any out-of-court settlement in a claim for breach of privacy unless Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers, owners of the News of the World, are prepared to make full disclosure of the paper's involvement in phone-hacking.
It emerged that a News of the World reporter, named by The Guardian last night as Dan Evans, who has been with the News of the World since 2005 and specialises is celebrity scoops, is currently "suspended from reporting duties" following a complaint by a female television personality that her voicemail was intercepted this year. The development comes after guarantees were given to a select committee of MPs by senior Murdoch executives that "rigorous new safeguards" had been put in place in 2007 to prevent such behaviour. Mr Galloway lodged a claim for a minimum of £300,000 in damages in the High Court in July, claiming his voicemail was illegally intercepted between February 2005 and August 2006, when Coulson was editing the News of the World.
The Independent has learnt that Mr Galloway was advised by police to change his mobile telephone or to alter the security pin number on his voicemail after his name was found on a list compiled by Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator who worked for the News of the World. Mr Galloway subsequently changed his mobile. Mulcaire was jailed in 2007 along with the News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman after the pair were convicted of hacking into the phone messages of royal aides.
Since then, two other alleged victims of the phone-hacking, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association Gordon Taylor and the publicist Max Clifford, have sued News Group for damages. Both claimants accepted substantial settlements before the cases came to court. But Mr Galloway, the former Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, is anxious that the case is fully aired in public. A source close to the case said: "He's not interested in the money. George doesn't want to be bought off. If he settled without disclosure there would always be the suspicion that News Group had only settled for the nuisance factor. What he wants is the truth as to the extent of the phone-hacking. With Andy Coulson now in Downing Street he feels there is an establishment cover-up."
Mr Galloway believes that more than 100 people were the target of phone-hacking by the News of the World and he hopes a court hearing will help others to come forward. The former MP was the target of a sting operation by Mazher Mahmood, the News of the World's undercover reporter, in 2006. The politician has claimed that Mr Mahmood tried and failed to implicate him in Holocaust denial and financial irregularities. As a reprisal, Mr Galloway released an image of Mr Mahmood, who is known as the "Fake Sheikh", with News Group taking legal action to try to prevent him from doing so. At around the same time Mr Galloway was warned by police to change his mobile phone, although there is no suggestion that Mr Mahmood was linked to any phone-hacking.
News Group is due to issue its defence to the Galloway claim next week. In a statement, it said it was seeking clarification on the matter from the Metropolitan Police. "The News of the World has absolutely no knowledge or evidence that Mr Galloway's voicemail was accessed."
On Sunday, The New York Times will publish a lengthy account of the phone-hacking scandal – already released online – alleging that Mr Coulson "talked freely" with colleagues about hacking. One former News of the World reporter Sean Hoare, who was to be dismissed amidst drug and alcohol problems, told The New York Times he had even played recordings of hacked messages to Coulson. "He actively encouraged me to do it," he claimed.
His nemesis? How justice favours George Galloway
* In 2004, George Galloway won a £150,000 libel victory over The Daily Telegraph after it alleged that the former MP received £375,000 a year from Saddam Hussein's regime – money it was alleged was diverted from the oil-for-food programme which was there to help suffering Iraqis. The story was based on documents translated into English from Arabic and found in the ruins of Baghdad by a Daily Telegraph reporter. Mr Galloway's claim was heard by Mr Justice Eady, who awarded in Mr Galloway's favour. The Telegraph eventually lost an appeal on the day that Mr Galloway was kicked out of the Big Brother house.
* The Christian Science Monitor published a story on its front page alleging that Mr Galloway had taken £6.5m from Saddam in cash and cheques, based on documents it had been passed. The documents turned out to be forgeries and the paper printed an apology. Mr Galloway rejected it and pursued a libel claim. He eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
* After Mr Galloway gave a rousing performance when called to give evidence to the US Senate, using it as an opportunity to attack American foreign policy, he was accused of giving false "or misleading" testimony under oath. Mr Galloway responded by inviting charges of perjury, claiming that the Senate had been embarrassed by his criticism. No charges were made.
Richard Ingrams: Here's a cause that George Galloway can get behind
25 September 2010
The Independent
I was disappointed not to see the name of George Galloway in The Tablet's recent list of Britain's top 100 Catholics. George has his detractors, as I know, but he could be the best candidate to take Rupert Murdoch and the News of the World to court over the phone-hacking scandal.
When it comes to taking on press barons his record is quite impressive. He won damages of £150,000 off The Daily Telegraph after the paper accused him of treason and taking sacks of gold from Saddam Hussein. Following that action, the News of the World and its notorious "fake sheikh" (journalist Mazher Mahmood) attempted to track Galloway by offering him money while prompting him to make anti-Semitic remarks. Galloway saw through the ruse and later put photographs of Mahmood on the internet to warn other potential victims. Defending his right to discredit left-wing MPs, Mahmood had the cheek to sue Galloway for breach of privacy. The case was thrown out.
Suspecting that his phone was being hacked into to provide Mahmood with ammunition for his entrapment, Galloway is now suing the News of the World. Rupert Murdoch, who has already paid Max Clifford £1m to drop a similar action, may feel inclined to offer Galloway an equivalent sum to avoid damaging disclosures. Fellow Catholics will be praying that Galloway will resist the temptation to take the money and run.
'News of the World tried to silence me'
Jan 31, 2011
presstv.com
The News of the World has tried to bribe former British MP George Galloway to silence him after it was revealed that his phone was hacked by the newspaper. Galloway said he had been offered "substantial sums of money" by the News of the World, a tabloid newspaper published in Britain, after his phone was hacked, British media reported. The revelation is part of a series of events relating to the News of the World's use of private investigators to illegally gain access to the mobile phone messages of a variety of people of interest to the newspaper.
The former MP said he has filed for damages from the News of the World after it was revealed by the police that his phone was intercepted by private investigator Glenn Mulcaire. "I began a civil action for breach of privacy. I have a court date some months hence. The News of the World are busily offering me substantial sums of money", said Galloway.
He said the hacking was disclosed after a Metropolitan Police officer came to “my office in Parliament when I was Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow”. "The police were exemplary in their conduct of my case," Galloway said. "A very senior officer came to my then office in Parliament and told me that in the raid on Glenn Mulcaire's premises, they had found evidence which suggested he had been hacking my telephone", he added. However, Galloway said there were "questions that need answering" about the conduct of the Met. "It's odd, for example, that they came to my office to tell me but walked past the office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the day (John Prescott) and a minister, Chris Bryant, without telling them," he said. "There seem to be questions about why they sat on evidence but did not pursue it and did not pursue additional evidence which the News of the World have now handed to them."
The Metropolitan Police launched a new probe into the News of the World's phone-hacking scandal after "significant new information" was revealed last week. It is the most important development in the controversy since the News of the World's royal editor Clive Goodman and Mulcaire were jailed at the Old Bailey in 2007 after they admitted intercepting messages by using industry codes to access voicemails.
Galloway: Police told me phone was being hacked
Paul Hutcheon and Alison Campsie
6 Apr 2011
heraldscotland.com
GEORGE Galloway has been told by police his mobile phone was hacked five times by a private investigator who had been working for the News of the World. The former MP told The Herald he was informed of the interception of his voicemail messages at a recent meeting with the Metropolitan Police, who are investigating allegations of widespread phone hacking at the tabloid.
Mr Galloway, who is standing for election at Holyrood, said he was shown a document seized from the home of former private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, previously hired by the News of the World, which included his name, mobile number and security pin details, plus the names of those who left the messages and an outline of their contents.
The revelations come after the arrest yesterday of The News of the World’s chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck and former assistant editor of news Ian Edmondson, who presented themselves to a police station in London. The pair were questioned on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications and unlawfully intercepting voicemail messages.
It is not clear who asked for Mr Galloway’s mobile phone messages to be tapped, as part of the document shown to the former MP was obscured. But it is understood his messages were intercepted on April 23, 2003, shortly after false accusations appeared in a daily newspaper that Mr Galloway had received money from the regime of Saddam Hussein. The politician later won £150,000 libel damages from the publication.
Mr Galloway, who is suing the News of the World for breach of privacy, last night vowed to take his case “all the way” in the courts. He said: “I have now seen evidence and it is now incontrovertible that my phone was hacked by Glenn Mulcaire. I will be taking this all the way, to bring in everyone who had a part in it, however high up the tree it goes. It is a widening stain on the News of the World.” Mr Galloway, who is standing at the election as part of the Coalition against Cuts, repeated his position that he would not accept a financial settlement from the newspaper over the alleged phone hacking.
The arrests of Mr Thurlbeck and Mr Edmondson are the first since the Metropolitan Police reopened its inquiry into claims that staff at the Sunday newspaper hacked into the phone messages of celebrities, politicians and Royals. Actress Sienna Miller, comedian Steve Coogan and former footballer Paul Gascoigne have launched parallel civil actions against the newspaper over breach of privacy claims. Former MSP Tommy Sheridan, currently serving a three-year prison sentence for perjury, is also taking action over alleged breach of privacy after his details, were found in notebooks seized from Mr Mulcaire’s home. Details of 3000 public figures were recovered in the raid.
Operation Weeting was launched just days after former News of the World editor Andy Coulson resigned as Prime Minister David Cameron’s director of communications in January after admitting the claims of illegal eavesdropping under his command had made his job impossible. The newspaper sacked Mr Edmondson as assistant editor of news after new evidence emerged.
Scotland Yard yesterday refused to give any more information about the inquiry, saying: “The Operation Weeting team is conducting the new investigation into phone hacking. It would be inappropriate to discuss any further details regarding this case.”
News of the World phone hacking victims get apology from Murdoch Confession that practice was rife is likely to cost News International millions of pounds in compensation
Rupert Murdoch's News International has issued a public apology to eight victims of phone hacking, including Sienna Miller and Tessa Jowell, and admitted for the first time that the practice was rife at the News of the World.
In a move likely to cost the company many millions of pounds, it said it would offer compensation to some of the 24 high-profile figures who have started legal proceedings against the paper in the high court for breach of privacy. It also admitted its previous investigations into hacking had not been "sufficiently robust".
The unprecedented statement of contrition is a remarkable volte face for the country's most powerful news organisation, which was claiming until the start of this year, in the face of growing evidence to the contrary, that hacking was the work of a single reporter.
It comes as a Scotland Yard investigation into phone hacking gathers pace. The News of the World's chief reporter, Neville Thurlbeck, was questioned by police on Tuesday along with Ian Edmondson, who was sacked as associate editor (news) in January.
The company said it had decided to offer an "unreserved apology" in certain cases but it would continue to fight others, including claims brought by Steve Coogan and the jockey Kieren Fallon.
"Past behaviour at the News of the World in relation to voicemail interception is a matter of genuine regret," it said. "It is now apparent that our previous inquiries failed to uncover important evidence and we acknowledge our actions then were not sufficiently robust."
At least one of the victims indicated privately that she was unlikely to accept News International's offer, although others – including Miller – are believed to be considering the proposal.
Lord Prescott, who is suing the Metropolitan police over its handling of the original 2006 phone-hacking inquiry, said: "The NoW has now admitted mass criminality." He repeated his call for Murdoch's bid for BSkyB to be blocked until the hacking allegations have been investigated fully.
The eight people to be offered compensation, likely to be an estimated £100,000 each, include Joan Hammell, one of Prescott's former advisers, and Jowell's estranged husband, David Mills.
The others are football agent Sky Andrew, Andy Gray, who was sacked as a Sky Sports presenter this year, publicist Nicola Phillips and Kelly Hoppen, the interior designer who is Sienna Miller's mother-in-law.
News International insiders said more offers are certain to follow as further evidence emerges in court cases.
The action is an attempt to prevent further damaging revelations about hacking at the paper emerging in the course of court hearings, the first of which will take place in the autumn.
Over the next few weeks, NI will be forced to hand over hundreds of internal emails sent by reporters and executives relating to Miller and Andrew in order to comply with a high court order. They could reveal how much senior executives at the paper knew about the activities of Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who worked for the NoW.
Asked at a New York media conference about the damage hacking has inflicted on the company, Rupert Murdoch's son James, who was promoted last week to become the third most powerful executive in his father's media empire, said it had isolated the issue.
He said: "What we were able to do is really put this problem into a box. If you get everybody sucked into something like that, then the whole business will sputter which you don't want."
But Rod Dadak, a partner at the law firm Lewis Silkin, said dozens of potential victims would now scramble to launch legal claims in the expectation of receiving generous payouts. That could leave NI facing a bill of up to £40m.
"The admission of liability is just the beginning," he said. "The list of people who will now claim their phone may have been hacked will grow immeasurably."
Evidence seized from Mulcaire by the Met suggests that he targeted more than 3,000 people on the instructions of executives at the paper.
Andrew Neil, an ex-Murdoch executive who edited the Sunday Times for a decade, said: "This is one of the most embarrassing apologies I've ever seen from a major British corporation. I don't think NI had anywhere else to go. The evidence was piling up against them. It may cost them a lot more than they think. There are plenty of other people involved. They are trying to close it down with their chequebook but I don't think they're going to succeed."
Charlotte Harris, a media lawyer at Mischon de Reya, who represents Andrew, said: "An admission from the News of the World is something we've been working towards for years now. They persisted with their 'one rogue' defence for far too long. It was clear for a very long time that the practice of phone hacking was rife and that the News of the World should take responsibility. I hope these apologies do not come at the cost of finding out precisely what happened and who was responsible for covering it up."
I have important things to say about the News of the World and the steps we are taking to address the very serious problems that have occurred.
It is only right that you as colleagues at News International are first to hear what I have to say and that you hear it directly from me. So thank you very much for coming here and listening.
You do not need to be told that The News of the World is 168 years old. That it is read by more people than any other English language newspaper. That it has enjoyed support from Britain's largest advertisers. And that it has a proud history of fighting crime, exposing wrong-doing and regularly setting the news agenda for the nation.
When I tell people why I am proud to be part of News Corporation, I say that our commitment to journalism and a free press is one of the things that sets us apart. Your work is a credit to this.
The good things the News of the World does, however, have been sullied by behaviour that was wrong. Indeed, if recent allegations are true, it was inhuman and has no place in our Company.
The News of the World is in the business of holding others to account. But it failed when it came to itself.
In 2006, the police focused their investigations on two men. Both went to jail. But the News of the World and News International failed to get to the bottom of repeated wrongdoing that occurred without conscience or legitimate purpose.
Wrongdoers turned a good newsroom bad and this was not fully understood or adequately pursued.
As a result, the News of the World and News International wrongly maintained that these issues were confined to one reporter. We now have voluntarily given evidence to the police that I believe will prove that this was untrue and those who acted wrongly will have to face the consequences.
This was not the only fault.
The paper made statements to Parliament without being in the full possession of the facts. This was wrong.
The Company paid out-of-court settlements approved by me. I now know that I did not have a complete picture when I did so. This was wrong and is a matter of serious regret.
Currently, there are two major and ongoing police investigations. We are cooperating fully and actively with both. You know that it was News International who voluntarily brought evidence that led to opening Operation Weeting and Operation Elveden. This full cooperation will continue until the Police's work is done.
We have also admitted liability in civil cases. Already, we have settled a number of prominent cases and set up a Compensation Scheme, with cases to be adjudicated by former High Court judge Sir Charles Gray. Apologising and making amends is the right thing to do.
Inside the Company, we set up a Management and Standards Committee that is working on these issues and that has hired Olswang to examine past failings and recommend systems and practices that over time should become standards for the industry. We have committed to publishing Olswang's terms of reference and eventual recommendations in a way that is open and transparent. We have welcomed broad public inquiries into press standards and police practices and will cooperate with them fully.
So, just as I acknowledge we have made mistakes, I hope you and everyone inside and outside the Company will acknowledge that we are doing our utmost to fix them, atone for them, and make sure they never happen again.
Having consulted senior colleagues, I have decided that we must take further decisive action with respect to the paper.
This Sunday will be the last issue of the News of the World.
Colin Myler will edit the final edition of the paper.
In addition, I have decided that all of the News of the World's revenue this weekend will go to good causes.
While we may never be able to make up for distress that has been caused, the right thing to do is for every penny of the circulation revenue we receive this weekend to go to organisations – many of whom are long-term friends and partners – that improve life in Britain and are devoted to treating others with dignity.
We will run no commercial advertisements this weekend. Any advertising space in this last edition will be donated to causes and charities that wish to expose their good works to our millions of readers.
These are strong measures. They are made humbly and out of respect. I am convinced they are the right thing to do.
Many of you, if not the vast majority of you, are either new to the Company or have had no connection to the News of the World during the years when egregious behaviour occurred.
I can understand how unfair these decisions may feel. Particularly, for colleagues who will leave the Company. Of course, we will communicate next steps in detail and begin appropriate consultations.
You may see these changes as a price loyal staff at the News of the World are paying for the transgressions of others. So please hear me when I say that your good work is a credit to journalism. I do not want the legitimacy of what you do to be compromised by acts of others. I want all journalism at News International to be beyond reproach. I insist that this organisation lives up to the standard of behaviour we expect of others. And, finally, I want you all to know that it is critical that the integrity of every journalist who has played fairly is restored.
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