Missing Milly Dowler's voicemail "hacked by News of the World"

[smokedout]

I said it was slightly spurious, it's either a flaky dig to keep up the pressure or possibly more to come

 

[London_Calling]

Only to link it with Coulson is spurious (without more information). Otherwise, it's a strong line.

 

[laptop]

With the noble exception of Tom Watson...

http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2011/07/murdoch-circus/

I thought Paul Farrelly's questioning - rather, cross-examination - of James M was excellent...

 

[butchersapron]

Only to link it with Coulson is spurious (without more information). Otherwise, it's a strong line.

If it's true - they are flat out denying it. Given that there's Gus O’Donnell and Special Branch to either confirm or deny it, then someone is simply lying. If it's not true then it's a terrible line that will damage attempts to uncover more of this stuff.

 

[London_Calling]

I thought Paul Farrelly's questioning - rather, cross-examination - of James M was excellent...

I'd say it was ok, relative to the others on the Comm. It wasn't close to the professional standard of a seasoned practitioner, nor would you expect it to be.

Of course, there is the PI, plus an enormous number of civil and criminal cases, to come.....

 

[laptop]

Mirror's got a (possibly slightly spurious) story about coulson hacking a civil servants voicemail whilst in post

http://www.mirror.co.uk/2011/07/21/civil-servant-allegedly-had-phone-hacked-while-andy-coulson-was-in-no10-115875-23285267/

As I read it, it's just based on Raynsford's question to the PM - between the lines, I suspect Raynsford's told the Mirror what it is he knows and can't say.

Further between the lines, I suspect it may be that Raynsford's source is second-hand - not actually the person whose phone is alleged to have been hacked - which would be one possible explanation for why he can't say more, but hopes to flush 'em out.

 

[invisibleplanet]

I thought Paul Farrelly's questioning - rather, cross-examination - of James M was excellent...

There's a full transcript here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/jul/20/james-rupert-murdoch-full-transcript

 

[weltweit]

I didn't find Paul Farrelly that good, he struck me as a bit pompous and in love with his own voice which seemed unneccesary.

For example, could the following question not have been rather shorter:

Q324 Paul Farrelly: I want to return to the question of making statements to Parliament without being in full possession of the facts. During our 2009 inquiry, all the witnesses who came to us testified to being intimately involved in, in particular, a huge trawl of e-mails after the arrival of Colin Myler. It seems that, over the past few days, they have been rather quick to try to distance themselves from that investigation, according to some of the quotes in the newspapers. It was stated to us clearly that that trawl, that investigation uncovered no new evidence: it was still a lone rogue reporter. Mr
James Murdoch, can you tell us about the file of e-mails, the so-called internal report that was discovered, allegedly—we read in the pages of The Sunday Times, a great newspaper—in the offices of Harbottle & Lewis. Can you tell us a bit more about when that was discovered, when you first came to know about it and what is in it?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/jul/20/james-rupert-murdoch-full-transcript

However it was him that brought out that NI were paying Mulcaire's legal fees which was interesting.

 

[laptop]

The bit of Farrelly I actually watched and enjoyed in real time was about that Harbottle & Lewis file:

Q330 Paul Farrelly: Who looked at it first? It was reputedly Will Lewis.

James Murdoch: The people managing the work on behalf of News International from early this year have been led by Mr Lewis. That is correct.

Q331 Paul Farrelly: What is in that file? It has been reported as a collection of 300 e-mails, or a loose-leaf binder—what is it?

James Murdoch: As you know, there is an ongoing criminal investigation. I think it would be wrong of me to talk about specific information or evidence that is subject to and could make problems for the police in doing the important work that they are currently doing.

Q332 Paul Farrelly: I don't think it is going to cause problems for the police if you tell us whether it is A4, foolscap, e-mails, in a ring binder, loose-leaf—what is it?

James Murdoch: It is paper. I think there are some e-mails, some documents—

Q333 Paul Farrelly: Have you read it all?

James Murdoch: I have not read it all, but some e-mails, some things in it have been shown to me.

Q334 Paul Farrelly: What was your reaction? Was there an expletive that you used when you first read some of these e-mails?

James Murdoch: I try not to utter expletives.

My clear conclusion was that JM had not, in fact examined the file himself.

(My recollection was that it was more a quick-fire series of questions; has the transcript been tidied up?)

 

[gosub]

problem with the PF-JM Harbottle & Lewis exchange, was that 15mins earlier evidence given in the Home Affairs Committee that clear evidence of illegallity within 2 minutes of reading it. ( (I think COulson is talking about buying ROyal phone number book, quite early on in the file)
Too much was going on the day

 

[weltweit]

I want to know who the dark haired woman in the grey trouser suit was who was sitting to the left of Mrs Murduch in the CMS hearing. She had lightning reflexes and was easily the first to rise and counter the pie attacker. But, who is she?

 

[Santino]

I want to know who the dark haired woman in the grey trouser suit was who was sitting to the left of Mrs Murduch in the CMS hearing. She had lightning reflexes and was easily the first to rise and counter the pie attacker. But, who is she?

Yes. This is the key issue imo.

 

[Pickman's model]

I want to know who the dark haired woman in the grey trouser suit was who was sitting to the left of Mrs Murduch in the CMS hearing. She had lightning reflexes and was easily the first to rise and counter the pie attacker. But, who is she?

who was that mysterious masked woman?

 

[Streathamite]

No he didn't.

I think it did, dylans. Up until then he was on the rack, and very much the villain of the piece. post-pie, it was all 'frail old man gets assaulted and rescued by his wife, the Chinese Wonderwoman' - it changed the focus.

 

[Shreddy]

Whew. This is all getting very exhausting.

Pardon my ignorance, but could somebody please direct me to that UK tabloid where ladies get their tits out?

I'm North American. We don't get that shit here. And it goes without saying Benny Hill has been sorely missed over here since...well, um...since whenever it was he died

 

[agricola]

If it's true - they are flat out denying it. Given that there's Gus O’Donnell and Special Branch to either confirm or deny it, then someone is simply lying. If it's not true then it's a terrible line that will damage attempts to uncover more of this stuff.

Plus it is massively hypocritical - I mean, Labour made a habit of negatively briefing against civil servants, and if they didnt hack into their mobile phones it must be one of the few things that they didnt do (given what they* did to Elizabeth Filkin, David Kelly, that Shoesmith woman and others).

* admittedly with Tory and LD collusion

 

[invisibleplanet]

Whew. This is all getting very exhausting.

Pardon my ignorance, but could somebody please direct me to that UK tabloid where ladies get their tits out?

I'm North American. We don't get that shit here. And it goes without saying Benny Hill has been sorely missed over here since...well, um...since whenever it was he died

The medium is the massage

 

[DotCommunist]

I want to know who the dark haired woman in the grey trouser suit was who was sitting to the left of Mrs Murduch in the CMS hearing. She had lightning reflexes and was easily the first to rise and counter the pie attacker. But, who is she?

that was his mrs.

 

[Pickman's model]

No he didn't.

oh yes he did

 

[Shreddy]

Up until then he was on the rack, and very much the villain of the piece. post-pie, it was all 'frail old man gets assaulted and rescued by his wife, the Chinese Wonderwoman' - it changed the focus.

So what you're saying is, Lucy Liu just went down about twelve notches on the "Chinese Wonderwoman" scale...

Shame. Always loved Lucy, but I've suddenly got the serious hots for Ms Wendi

 

[Pickman's model]

So what you're saying is, Lucy Liu just went down about twelve notches on the "Chinese Wonderwoman" scale...

Shame. Always loved Lucy, but I've suddenly got the serious hots for Ms Wendi

and in a year or two she'll be a rich widow

 

[agricola]

that was his mrs.

It wasnt - Wendi had the pink jacket on, and got there after the woman weitweit describes (the woman in the grey jacket, above Rupert Murdochs' head in the first image):

 

[Santino]

Has anyone checked if The Guardian is onto this lead?

 

[London_Calling]

Ms Grey (Murdoch's daughter) intervened, Ms Pink (his wife) lashed out after. Fat fella got some of the pie himself.

 

[Shreddy]

and in a year or two she'll be a rich widow

I'd say within a week. Wanna put a fiver on it?

 

[London_Calling]

She was 'rich' before meeting Murdoch.

 

[agricola]

Meanwhile, why wasnt this comment from the debate picked up on by more outlets (its only Guido who I can see covering it at the moment)?

Mr Geoffrey Cox (Torridge and West Devon) (Con): I want to raise three points. Although I congratulate the right hon. Member for Leicester East (Keith Vaz) on his Committee’s report, one or two loose ends seem not to have been followed up. On 30 May 2006, a Crown Prosecution file note recorded that the police had written a briefing paper informing the Attorney-General and the then Director of Public Prosecutions that

“a vast number of unique voicemail numbers belonging to high-profile individuals (politicians, celebrities) have been identified as being accessed without authority. These may be the subject of wider investigation.”

In a memorandum dated 8 August 2006, a senior Crown Prosecution Service lawyer wrote:

“It was recognised early in this case that the investigation was likely to reveal a vast array of offending behaviour.”

However, the Crown Prosecution Service and the police concluded that aspects of the investigation could be focused on a discrete area of offending relating to two officials at the palace and the suspects Goodman and Mulcaire.

From those documents, it is absolutely manifest that the Attorney-General in the previous Government, who sits when appropriate in the Cabinet, was informed that there was “a vast array” of offending behaviour in which hundreds of celebrities, Members of the House and of the other place and others had had their phones accessed without authority. Why was nothing done?

The Leader of the Opposition has left the Chamber. Can he or former members of the Cabinet tell us whether the Attorney-General in 2006 brought to the attention of his colleagues the fact that a vast array of offending behaviour had been committed by News International but it was not intended that it be investigated by the police? The Attorney-General has a solemn duty to draw to the attention of the Cabinet such matters if they affect the public interest. The Attorney-General has a right of oversight of the CPS—the ultimate resort—and could at least instruct that advice be given to the police on such matters. Why was nothing done?

Straw denied that it had ever been raised at Cabinet level afterwards, but would anyone be surprised if the investigation was spiked by Blair (as he did with BAe) in its early stages? Furthermore, does this relevation - if its true (which it appears to be, it is after all apparently backed up by documentation) - put the lie to everything that has been said about this story by official sources up to this point?

 

[gavman]

Whew. This is all getting very exhausting.

Pardon my ignorance, but could somebody please direct me to that UK tabloid where ladies get their tits out?

I'm North American. We don't get that shit here. And it goes without saying Benny Hill has been sorely missed over here since...well, um...since whenever it was he died

benny hill died in europe at the end of the 70's. he lives on in north america, why only they can answer

 

[rorymac]

He has a clear tell. He starts going red around his neck when he's blatantly lying and worried about being caught out.

lol .. I think I noticed that subconsciously but when it's written down it seems true as you like !!
Tbf I haven't seen much of him up to this cos his accent winds me up so much .. he sticks an extra couple of vowels in every other word. I imagine folks are impressed with that .. probably why John Prescott took elocution lessons and sounds like a halfwit. Talk properly you clown !
Fackin buncha fakes make this country look pathetic imo !

 

[London_Calling]

From agricola's quote in #7497:

However, the Crown Prosecution Service and the police concluded that aspects of the investigation could be focused on a discrete area of offending relating to two officials at the palace and the suspects Goodman and Mulcaire.

That's the part for me. It brings in the CPS (something that's been troubling me for a few days).

The decision dovetails too conventiently with NI's long-standing 'one rotten apple' line of defence and, in the new reality, it's absurd either body would not investigate "a vast array of offending behaviour". What the fuck is their job otherwise....

Who in either/both organisations concluded not to investigate and why didn't one call the other on it...