Dial M for Murdoch: News Corporation and the Corruption of Britain (56 page)

Unidentified 63-year-old man – 8 July, on suspicion of corruption

Neil Wallis, executive editor,
News of the World
– 14 July, on suspicion of phone hacking

Rebekah Brooks, editor,
News of the World
and the
Sun
– 17 July, on suspicion of phone hacking and corrupting police

Stuart Kuttner, managing editor,
News of the World
– 2 August, on suspicion of phone hacking and corrupting police

Greg Miskiw, news editor,
News of the World
– 10 August, on suspicion of phone hacking

^†
James Desborough, showbusiness reporter,
News of the World
– 18 August, on suspicion of phone hacking

Dan Evans, reporter,
News of the World
– 19 August, on suspicion of phone hacking

Ross Hall, reporter,
News of the World
– 2 September, on suspicion of phone hacking and perverting the course of justice

Raoul Simmons, deputy football editor,
The Times
– 7 September, on suspicion of phone hacking

Jamie Pyatt, news editor/reporter, the
Sun
– 4 November, on suspicion of bribing police

52-year-old member of the public – 24 November, on suspicion of computer hacking

^†
Bethany Usher, reporter,
News of the World
– 30 November, on suspicion of phone hacking

Glenn Mulcaire, private investigator,
News of the World
– 7 December, on suspicion of phone hacking and perverting the course of justice

Lucy Panton, crime editor,
News of the World
– 15 December, on suspicion of bribing police

2012

Cheryl Carter, beauty editor, the
Sun
and Rebekah Brooks’s former PA – 7 January, on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice

Unidentified police officer – 10 January, on suspicion of making unauthorized disclosures to the press

Graham Dudman, managing editor, the
Sun
– 28 January, on suspicion of corrupting public officials

Mike Sullivan, crime editor, the
Sun
– 28 January, on suspicion of corrupting public officials

Chris Pharo, news editor, the
Sun
– 28 January, on suspicion of corrupting public officials

Fergus Shanahan, executive editor, the
Sun
– 28 January, on suspicion of corrupting public officials

Unidentified policeman, 28 January, on suspicion of corruption

Geoff Webster, deputy editor, the
Sun
– 11 February, on suspicion of corrupting public officials

John Kay, chief reporter, the
Sun
– 11 February, on suspicion of corrupting public officials

Nick Parker, chief foreign correspondent, the
Sun
– 11 February, on suspicion of corrupting public officials

John Edwards, picture editor, the
Sun
– 11 February, on suspicion of corrupting police/public officials

John Sturgis, deputy news editor, the
Sun
– 11 February, on suspicion of corrupting police/public officials

Unidentified Surrey police officer – 11 February, on suspicion of corruption

Unidentified Ministry of Defence employee – 11 February, on suspicion of corruption

Unidentified member of the armed forces – 11 February, on suspicion of corruption

Virginia Wheeler, defence editor, the
Sun
– 1 March, on suspicion of corrupting public officials

Rebekah Brooks, Chief Executive, News International – 13 March, on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice

Charlie Brooks, husband of Rebekah Brooks – 13 March, on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice

Mark Hanna, head of security, News International – 13 March, on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice

Unidentified male employee, News International – 13 March, on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice

Unidentified man – 13 March, on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice

Unidentified man – 13 March, on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice

Neville Thurlbeck, chief reporter,
News of the World
– 14 March, on suspicion of intimidating a witness

Acknowledgements

The authors together

Many of the central figures in this story were interviewed for or otherwise helped us with this book, including Jo Becker, Chris Bryant, Glenn Campbell, Steve Coogan, David Davies, Nick Davies (one of the great exemplars of good journalism), Paul Farrelly, Hugh Grant, Jacqui Hames, Amelia Hill, Sienna Miller, Alastair Morgan, Max Mosley, Don van Natta Jr, Peter Oborne, Alec Owens, Alan Rusbridger and ‘Miss X’. Their bravery gave us confidence and hope, and we thank them.

The lawyers Tamsin Allen, Charlotte Harris, Mark Lewis, Mark Thompson and Dominic Crossley brilliantly uncovered the cover-up. Without them, this shameful business might still be concealed.

We thank our literary agent, Clare Alexander of Aitken Alexander Associates, Toby Mundy of Atlantic Books, and agent David Luxton for their help at different stages. Had Judith Attar not put us together at Hull University, we would never have reconnected in 2010.

We are grateful to all at Penguin, but especially to our editor Stuart Proffitt, whose long experience informed its writing; his efficient and ever-cheerful assistant Shan Vahidy, the editorial managers Richard Duguid and Rebecca Lee, publicity manager Thi Dinh, and Bela Cunha, our expertly thorough copy-editor.

Tom Watson

I couldn’t have survived the events this book describes without the team who have put up with the maelstrom around me: Kim Frazer, Sophie Goodchild, Gareth Illmann-Walker, Paul Moore, Karie Murphy and Raeesa Patel. Many have shown me friendship and solidarity in tough times: Diane Abbott, Dave Anderson, Luciana Berger, Billy Bragg, Kevin Brennan, Gordon Brown, Richard Burden, Shami Chakrabarti, Darren Cooper, Paul and Karen Corby, John Cryer, Geoffrey Goodman, Simon Hackett, David Hamilton, Harriet Harman, George Hickman, Lyndsay Hoyle, Mahboob Hussain, Amy Jackson, Tessa Jowell, Fraser Kemp, Paul Kenny, Peter Kilfoyle, Tarsem King, Neil Kinnock, Ian Lavery, Ian Lucas, Kevin Maguire, Len McCluskey, Iain McNicol, Michael Meacher, Ed Miliband, Vincent Moss, Jim Mowatt, Stephanie Peacock, Tom Powdrill, Lucy Powell, Mark Pritchard, Ian Reilly, Peter Rhodes, James Robinson, Steve Rotherham, Martin Rowson, Adrian Sanders, Jim Sheridan, Tommy Sheridan, Dennis Skinner, Nicholas Soames, John Spellar, Mark and Sally Tami, Steve Torrance, Keith Vaz, Iain Wright, Peter Hooton, Pete Wylie and the extraordinary people of the city of Liverpool.

Above all, I thank my family for their love and understanding: Linda and Barry Halliwell, Meg and Will Tremayne, Dan and Jo Watson, Tony, Jan and Anna Watson, and Amy Watson. My children, Malachy and Saoirse, remain the centre of my universe and I thank them for sharing the keyboard with me.

One friend in particular helped me through some very dark times. I will always be indebted to Siôn Simon for being there when it counted.

Martin Hickman

Any journalistic career needs the help of good bosses, and I thank Paul Durrant, Nick Small and Trevor Mason.

At the
Independent
, my gratitude runs deep to Cahal Milmo, a prince among journalists; Chris Blackhurst for willingly (though – gratifyingly – not too readily) allowing me to take unpaid leave at very short notice; Oliver Duff, Chris Green and the other newsdesk stalwarts; reporters Jim Cusick and Ian Burrell, who chipped away at the official version; Mike McCarthy for his extraordinary enthusiasm; at the
i
paper its editor Stefano Hatfield; at the
Independent on Sunday
, James Hanning, one of the first journalists to recognize the story’s importance, and Matthew Bell, both of whom who helped promptly and generously.

Over the past year friends and relatives have put up with absences, cancellations and my single topic of conversation. I thank them all, but especially Liz Hickman and Simon Hickman. To my lovely, patient children, Kate and Finlay, come the welcome words: ‘The book is finished’, and to my long-suffering wife Rachel, whose job-home-family juggling equalled that of a circus act and whose support stretched astonishingly beyond the reasonable, the message: ‘It couldn’t have been done without you.’

He just wanted a decent book to read ...

Not too much to ask, is it? It was in 1935 when Allen Lane, Managing Director of Bodley Head Publishers, stood on a platform at Exeter railway station looking for something good to read on his journey back to London. His choice was limited to popular magazines and poor-quality paperbacks – the same choice faced every day by the vast majority of readers, few of whom could afford hardbacks. Lane’s disappointment and subsequent anger at the range of books generally available led him to found a company – and change the world.

We believed in the existence in this country of a vast reading public for intelligent books at a low price, and staked everything on it’
Sir Allen Lane, 1902–1970, founder of Penguin Books

The quality paperback had arrived – and not just in bookshops. Lane was adamant that his Penguins should appear in chain stores and tobacconists, and should cost no more than a packet of cigarettes.

Reading habits (and cigarette prices) have changed since 1935, but Penguin still believes in publishing the best books for everybody to enjoy.We still believe that good design costs no more than bad design, and we still believe that quality books published passionately and responsibly make the world a better place.

So wherever you see the little bird – whether it’s on a piece of prize-winning literary fiction or a celebrity autobiography, political tour de force or historical masterpiece, a serial-killer thriller, reference book, world classic or a piece of pure escapism – you can bet that it represents the very best that the genre has to offer.

Whatever you like to read – trust Penguin.

www.penguin.co.uk

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ALLEN LANE

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