Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation

Re: NI/NOTW phone hacking scandal

I think we've gone beyond that now.

There's also something that's difficult to make sense of without further investigation and it relates to this...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...of-murder-was-on-coulson-payroll-2239757.html

Private investigator cleared of murder was on Coulson pay-roll

A private investigator acquitted of one of Britain's longest unsolved murders had extensive links with corrupt police officers and was being paid thousands of pounds to supply information to the News of the World under the editorship of former Downing Street spin doctor Andy Coulson.

Jonathan Rees, who walked free from the Old Bailey after his trial for the murder of his business partner collapsed due to Scotland Yard failures, was rehired by Rupert Murdoch's Sunday newspaper despite being sentenced to six years' imprisonment for plotting to plant cocaine in a former model's car.

The Guardian reported last night that it had written to Mr Coulson prior to his appointment to Downing Street in 2010 asking him to comment on the decision to hire Mr Rees. The paper said that Prime Minister David Cameron was also made aware of the private investigator's record and his employment by the NoW before he gave Mr Coulson a job as his spokesman.

The private detective, who worked for the NoW between 1993 and 2000 and then after 2005, enjoyed a lucrative relationship with several Fleet Street titles, using his contacts with corrupt Metropolitan Police officers, other law enforcement officials, bank workers and phone company employees to obtain illegal information.

Mr Rees, 56, who reportedly earned up to £150,000 a year from the NoW, had numerous targets including former Labour minister Peter Mandelson, Tony Blair's press chief Alastair Campbell, rock star Mick Jagger, television presenters Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, and the singer George Michael, according to The Guardian.

The private detective allegedly inhabited a shadowy world where corrupt officers and former detectives would approach him with information about celebrities and high-profile criminals, including M25 murderer Kenneth Noye.

So basically what we have is a private investigator, the former business partner of a murder victim, being the main suspect in the case. I've since heard on the BBC news that the reason for the lack of a successful conviction was police corruption at the time of the initial enquiry.

Of course, this raises the question, was there any collaboration between the criminal fraternity and their police contacts that filtered across to the police contacts in the 'meeja'. That issue is raised because of this...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...spied-on-detective-during-murder-inquiry.html

But the tabloid allegedly claimed that it was investigating whether or not Det Sup Cook was having an affair with Jacqui Hames, a co-presenter on Crimewatch, to whom he was actually married at the time.

The couple were informed by police two months ago that their personal details had been discovered in three pages of notes made by the News of the World investigator Glenn Mulcaire.

The details held were understood to include addresses and mobile phone numbers and even payroll details.

Mr Morgan’s murder was the subject of a long-running and complex investigation.

Thousands of lines of inquiry were pursued and over three quarters of a million documents examined.

No-one was brought to justice despite five police inquiries and three years of legal hearings, estimated to have cost around £30 million.

Five people were arrested in 2008 but two, including a former detective accused of perverting justice, were discharged after a string of supergrasses were discredited.

In March this year, Detective Chief Superintendent Hamish Campbell, a senior Scotland Yard detective, apologised to Mr Morgan’s family after the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case against the remaining three suspects, admitting that police corruption was a “debilitating factor”.

So we have a newspaper monitoring a policeman investigating the murder of a private detective, (ostensibly because they suspected two people were 'having an affair', despite them already being married to each other), and using a private investigator who may, (and many will think did), have links to the same police sources who nobbled the investigation into the main suspect in the first place.

Of course, we can all rest assured that the matter will be properly investigated by.... ah!

 

Re: NI/NOTW phone hacking scandal

Really? Not too sure why...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Grobbelaar#Match-fixing_allegations

The truth is that match fixing is done by individuals so, by definition, it can happen anywhere. Having said that it's more difficult in leagues where the viewer figures are very large and where the players are well paid. How much would you have to pay someone to play like shit if they're earning several million pounds a year PARTICULARLY if they're then dropped by their manager and sold to a minor club on half the wages. Simply on that basis, (if no other), I suspect it's not a big problem in the EPL.

Mind you, having watched Chelsea games for a few years I can't say the same thing for the refs, particularly in games against barca

Agreed.

 

Re: America is letting the world down

Thanks mate. You always know the right thing to say to make us laugh when we need it

Mind you, this also means that those companies advertising budget will go further because it will be spread over fewer publications and there will STILL be the same number of cars, TV's, washing machines, etc. sold. If I were running those businesses I would be saddened, shocked and appalled at the latest news... if you catch my drift

Of course, you're also assuming that NI won't start up 'News of Screws 2', (although they MIGHT not go with that title?), in about 6-12 months time.

 

Re: NI/NOTW phone hacking scandal

I'm happy for the title to be changed if people think it appropriate.

 

Re: NI/NOTW phone hacking scandal

NI say there is worse to come

Of course, we don't know FOR CERTAIN that Hitler ordered the invasion of Poland, do we