Phone hacking: NoW warned about 'culture of illegal information access'

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Source: The Guardian

Senior executives at News International were warned by a company lawyer in June 2008 that there was "a culture of illegal information access" at the Murdoch-owned media group involving "at least three" of its journalists.

They were also cautioned that it would be "extremely damaging" to the publisher's public reputation if that information reached court as part of a legal action brought by Gordon Taylor, whose lawyers had uncovered evidence of phone hacking at the News of the World during a legal battle with the title.

The warning is contained in a legal opinion prepared by Michael Silverleaf QC, the group's counsel, for the News of the World's legal officer, Tom Crone, on 3 June 2008 – and was made public for the first time on Tuesday.

It was handed over by the company's former legal advisers Farrer & Co to MPs on the culture, media and sport select committee, which is investigating phone hacking at the paper, as part of a group of documents requested by parliament. They were published on the committee website.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/nov/01/phone-hacking-culture-illegal-information