News Corp chief executive James Murdoch is likely to be recalled to the UK parliament to answer fresh questions after two former News of the World executives said on Tuesday they were certain he was told of an explosive e-mail that indicated phone hacking at the now-closed newspaper went beyond one rogue reporter.
House of Commons sources said Murdoch would probably be ordered to appear for a second time before lawmakers next month to clarify whether or not he was told about the now-notorious “for Neville” e-mail, which blew apart the newspaper’s defense that phone hacking was isolated to its royal editor, Clive Goodman.
Neville Thurlbeck was a chief reporter for the News of the World.
In a tense session before parliament’s culture, media and sport committee on Tuesday, Tom Crone, who left as News of the World publishers News Group Newspapers’ legal manager last month, said he had told James Murdoch about the e-mail. He claimed that it was after hearing news of the e-mail at a 15-minute meeting in 2008 that Murdoch authorized a payment of ￡425,000 (US$680,000) plus costs to Gordon Taylor, a soccer executive. That contradicted James Murdoch’s account of events.
Giving evidence at the same session, Colin Myler, who became editor of News of the World after Andy Coulson resigned, said it was “inconceivable” that Murdoch was unaware that the e-mail indicated hacking went beyond a single rogue reporter at the Sunday newspaper.
“I had made the point very clearly in my opening statement to that hearing that the ‘for Neville’ e-mail was clearly a significant development,” Myler said.
James Murdoch on Tuesday responded to Crone’s claims in a statement, saying he stood by his earlier testimony to the select committee. He said his “recollection of the meeting regarding the Gordon Taylor settlement is absolutely clear and consistent.”
“I was told by Mr Crone and Mr Myler ... that there was evidence that Mulcaire had carried out [the interception of Taylor’s voice mails] on behalf of the News of the World. It was for this reason alone that Mr Crone and Mr Myler recommended settlement ... They did not show me the e-mail, nor did they refer to Neville Thurlbeck,” he said. “Neither Mr Myler nor Mr Crone told me that wrongdoing extended beyond Mr Goodman or Mr Mulcaire.”
His statement is at odds with the evidence given to the committee by Crone.
“[The e-mail] was clear evidence that phone hacking was taking place beyond Clive Goodman. It was the reason we had to settle the case and in order to settle the case we had to explain the case to Mr Murdoch and get his authority to settle, so clearly it was discussed,” Crone told lawmakers. “Since he gave us the authority we were asking for, I would take it that for the first time he realized News of the World was involved [in illegal voice-mail interception] and that involvement involved people going beyond Clive Goodman.”
Until April, News International claimed hacking was limited to Goodman, the News of the World’s former royal reporter, and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire.
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