Mulcaire, Miskiw, Mahmood and the Special Investigations Unit set up by Rebekah Brooks at News of the World

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Before Panorama airs at 7.30 tonight, after two delays, it might be worth looking at the background of MazHer Mahmood, aka the Fake Sheikh, at News of the World under the editorship of Rebekah Brooks, from early 2000 to early 2003.

Mahmood’s activities in the decade leading up to this have been covered in  a previous post about his connections with Southern Investigations. But the problems with that notorious private investigations firm, due to police inquiries and arrests of key personnel around this time, may explain what happened next.

Investigations were taken in house.

One of the first things Brooks did as editor of Britain’s best selling paper was to recall Greg Miskiw from New York, where he had set up office, and form an Investigations Team that worked outside both the Features and News Desk. From various bits of evidence show the floating membership from 2000 onwards to consist of:

Greg Miskiw – head

Neville Thurlbeck – reporter

Sarah Arnold – reporter

Paul McMullan – reporter

Glenn Mulcaire (as reported by Geoff Sweet in the sports pages)

Mazher Mahmood – undercover reporter

Bradley Page – photographer who replaced his father in law Steve Grayson

Conrad Brown – technical and surveillance

Charlie Brooks and Kuttner’s Costs Application Rejected in HackingTrial

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While News UK withdrew, at the last minute, their £10-20 million application for costs for Brooks and other corporately defended clients, the claim by Charlie Brooks and Stuart for their private expenses has also been rejected my Mr Justice Saunders today: his full decision is below. Charlie had claimed half a million for his defence, while Stuart Kuttner £130,000  for his individual costs.

Meanwhile, Private Eye has added more detail to the reason News UK withdrew it’s cost application ten days ago,

 

BREAKING: No Further Action against News International Lawyer Tom Crone: NOTW desk editor Edmondson pleads guilty to hacking –

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As reported earlier, Ian Edmondson pleaded guilty to phone hacking in the Old Bailey today, completing the main phase of police operation Weeting with seven convictions for the nine charged with conspiracy to phone hack since 2011. As well as private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, two reporters, four desk editor and the editor of the News of the World, Andy Coulson, have now been convicted. Rebekah Brooks and former managing editor Stuart Kuttner were acquitted. (The prosecution sentencing note is attached here as a pdf)

The Hacking Trial Costs Issue – News UK withdraw their claim for millions: Saunders’ Memo

Back in June, when Rebekah Brooks, Stuart Kuttner, Cheryl Carter and Mark Hanna were all acquitted at the phone hacking trial, their barristers made it clear they would be applying (as is their right) for a refund of their court costs. Already, at this point, it was clear that News UK would have to be party to these hearings on costs, since they had indemnified all the cleared defendants bar Charlie Brooks. The initial quantum for that claim was reported to be £25 million in legal costs. This was reduced two weeks ago to £7 million by the Crown Prosecution Service on the basis of equivalent legal aid, rather than private, legal costings. 

How Rebekah Brooks withheld Beckham kidnap info and hired criminals for the Fake Sheikh – Scotland Yard and CPS did nothing

A follow up piece on the Fake Sheikh by occasional contributor, Joe Public. Crossposted at Bellingcat. 

In what echoes the 24 hour delay it took for News of the World to inform police of their Milly Dowler hacked messages, Rebekah Brooks withheld information from the police in regards to an alleged Victoria Beckham kidnap plot in 2002. She “wanted to keep the matter a secret for as long as possible and thus not spoil the story she was planning to publish” according to Mazher Mahmood‘s evidence in court papers from a libel case against News Group Newspapers in 2005.

Hacking Trial Live Tweets – 30 June

Monday 30 June 2014

Summary
	Mitigation Pleas
		The Court hears mitigation pleas from those guilty of Phone Hacking
		Andrew Edis QC presents the case for the Crown
		Gavin Millar QC pleads mitigation for Gen Mulcaire
		Trevor Burke QC pleads mitigation for Greg Miskiw
		Hugh Davis QC pleads mitigation for Neville Thurlbeck
		Charles Bott QC pleads mitigation for James Weatherup
		Andy Coulson’s mitigation plea will be tomorrow

How the Prime Minister nearly derailed the Hacking Trial

Yesterdays intervention by David Cameron after the guilty verdict for Coulson on Count One of phone hacking nearly derailed the whole trial. As soon as the verdict was in Coulson”s QC, Timothy Langdale, called the Attorney General to warn him any comments could be in contempt of court, because the jury were still deliberating on two more counts.

The Attorney General was with the Prime Minister at the time, but told him that Cameron had already filmed his apology, and it was too late to stop the statement going out. This morning both counsel for Goodman and Coulson applied to discharge the current jury because of the prejudicial comment about separate facts that were not in evidence.

Hacking Trial Live Tweets – 5 June

Links: The Trial So Far | Full Trial Summary | Indexed Evidence | Breaking News

Thursday 5 June 2014

Summary
	The Summing Up Continues
		Justice Saunders QC continues his review of the Evidence on Count One
		Continued review of the Milly Dowler related Evidence
		Sven-Goran Eriksson

Hacking Trial Live Tweets – 4 June

Links: The Trial So Far | Full Trial Summary | Indexed Evidence | Breaking News

Wednesday 4 June 2014

Summary
	The Summing Up
		Justice Saunders QC presents Legal Direction and his Summing Up
	Mr Justice Saunders Legal Direction to the Jury
		The Judge Complete his Legal Directions
	Mr Justice Saunders Summing Up and Review of the Evidence
		The Judge Reviews the Evidence
		Sentiment and Emotion
		Accusations against the Police
		The Judge talks about the Defendants
		Evidence on Count One
		The Milly Dowler Story

Hacking Trial Live Tweets – 30 May

Links: The Trial So Far | Full Trial Summary | Indexed Evidence | Breaking News

Friday 30 May 2014

Summary
	Stuart Kuttner’s Closing Statement
		Jonathan Caplan QC presents the Closing Statement for Stuart Kuttner
		Summary of the Prosecution Case
		Kuttner’s Defence Case
		Managing Editor’s Role
		Seven Points of Defence
		Milly Dowler and the Surry Police
		Kuttner’s Police Interview
		The Kimberley Quinn Affair
		After Clive Goodman’s Arrest