Scotland Yard launches new phone-hacking inquiry
Scotland Yard has announced a new phone hacking inquiry
Controversial detective John Yates will not lead the probe
News of the World executive Ian Edmondson sacked
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5.24pm: A good point below the line from @crisgod, who like others asks questions about the role of the Met in previous inquiries into phone hacking.
So are the Met implicated in deliberately suppressing evidence of phone hacking? Who was Met chief at the time? and was he aware of any decision to ignore evidence?
Methinks there remain a number of heads left to roll over this matter, and not all in the newspaper industry.
5.21pm: And here it is, the statement from News International about Ian Edmondson.
The News of the World has terminated the employment of Ian Edmondson, Assistant Editor (News).
Mr Edmondson was suspended in December 2010 following a serious allegation. Material evidence found during the course of the subsequent investigation has led to Mr Edmondson's dismissal. News International has informed the police, handed over the material it has found and will give its full cooperation going forward.
News International reiterates that it will take swift and decisive action when we have proof of wrongdoing.
5.19pm: Who is deputy assistant commissioner Sue Akers, the clean pair of hands who has taken charge of the new investigation? She's the Met's head of organised crime and criminal networks. She has responsibility for Trident, the Met division that deals with gun crime in the black community in London, and serious and organised crime.
This is what she says of the "rewarding aspects" of her role.
Leading highly professional and committed staff in delivery of MPS priorities of dismantling criminal networks and combating serious and organised crime, particularly gun crime in order to provide safer communities across London.
Here's her full profile on the Met website.!
5.15pm: Dan Sabbagh is just off the phone to Mark Lewis, a laywer representing a group of celebrities in phone hacking lawsuits against the News of the World. He told us:
I hope the police do a proper investigation, that they leave no stone unturned in order to find out whose phones had been hacked and what illegal acts had taken place.
5.10pm: In this context, it's worth revisiting Robert Peston's blog on this issue of a few days ago. Peston, rapidly emerging as the Nostradamus of News International, suggested that Rupert Murdoch has employed a "BP strategy" clear out the Augean Stables and blame the rest of the industry in the process.
Executives at News are engaged - they tell me - in finding out everything they can about who was hacked by the News of the World, News International's Sunday tabloid, and who at News International knew about the hacking.
Once they have the details, they will offer settlements to those celebs, politicians and others whose privacy may have been invaded - to cut out the requirement for huge lawyers' fees.
Any culpable News International executives will be sacked.
This raises the question about whether Ian Edmondson will be the only NI executive to suffer the axe.
Another source close to the situation has told a colleague just now: "Rupert rarely stands on ceremony on such occasions."
5.00pm: Dan Sabbagh has tried Ian Edmondson's mobile phone. His wife answered.
4.54pm: Ian Edmondson has been sacked, Dan Sabbagh, our head of media, has confirmed from News International sources.
4.53pm: The political commentator Steve Richards has picked up on the point that Yates of the Yard will not be involved in the new investigation.
Meanwhile Lembit Opik, the former MP, claims his phone was hacked. Is that how they found out he was dating a Cheeky Girl?
4.52pm: Max Clifford (left), ! the publ icist who settled his civil action against the News of the World over his belief that his phone was hacked, has been speaking to my colleague Dan Sabbagh. He has a pretty strong analysis of the implications of what's happening today.
This is what he said of Ian Edmondson who, we must remember, was appointed by Coulson:
I'm told he has been sacked, he was thought it was coming. This is a volcano that is starting to erupt, there will be huge explosions all over Fleet Street if police get to the truth.
4.49pm: One key point to note is that both the Met and the CPS have appointed teams led by people with no previous involvement in the case. Most notably, deputy asssistant commissioner John Yates will not be involved in the new police investigation.
4.48pm: The BBC's chief political correspondent Laura Kuenssberg has been speaking to Keith Vaz, chairman of the home affairs select committee, who says "astonished" by the new hacking probe and will still publish names of others who believe they were victims.
4.45pm: Earlier this week Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions, said the Crown Prosecution Service is to adopt a "robust approach" in examining "recent or new substantive allegations" of phone hacking.
Starmer today Tim Goodwin, the acting Met commissioner, and John Yates, the acting deputy commissioner.
After the meeting Starmer said:
Any evidence resulting from recent or new substantive allegations made to the Met of mobile voicemail interception arising from the Goodman and Mulcaire case should be subject to the same rigorous assessment as Alison Levitt QC is applying to material already in the possession of the Met.
I have asked Alison Levitt QC (who has had no previous involvement in the case) to take a robust approach with a view to advising whether the Met should carry out any further investigation, or deciding whether any prosecutions can be brought. This builds u! pon the previous request by the MPS to the CPS to assess all the material relevant to phone hacking.
4.30pm: Scotland Yard has launched a fresh investigation into the phone hacking scandal today after receiving "significant new information". Police said the new material is linked to allegations about the activities of staff at the News of the World in 2005 and 2006.
Meanwhile, it is understood that the News of the World has sacked Ian Edmondson, the assistant editor (news). Edmondson was the no 3 at the paper and was appointed by former editor Andy Coulson, who resigned as Downing Street's director of communications last week.
This is the statement from Scotland Yard:
The Met has today received significant new information relating to allegations of phone hacking at the News of the World in 2005/06. As a result, the Met is launching a new investigation to consider this material.
This work will be carried out by the specialist crime directorate which has been investigating a related phone hacking allegation since September 2010.
Discussions have taken place with the Director of Public Prosecutions in relation to the recently announced role of Alison Levitt QC.
It has been agreed that her task will continue and she will evaluate any new evidence and advise as to the progress of the investigation.
The original phone hacking investigation was undertaken by the counter terrorism command in specialist operations.
However, in view of their current workload and the continuing 'severe' threat level, it has been agreed that it is no longer appropriate to divert them or Acting Deputy Commissioner John Yates from their main duties and responsibilities.
Accordingly, this new investigation will be led by Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers from the specialist crime directorate. We will not be making any further comments at this stage.
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