PCC "not misled" by News of the World over phone-tap claims

The PCC report follows an inquiry prompted by The Guardian's claim that the News of the World had paid out £1m in confidential damages and legal fees to the chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association, Gordon Taylor.

Clive Goodman, the News of the World's former royal editor, and Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator on the newspaper's payroll, were both jailed in 2007 after admitting hacking into the private voicemails of royal aides and other celebrities.

The newspaper industry watchdog was looking at two specific issues: whether it was misled by the News of the World during its 2007 inquiry into how the phone message hacking could have arisen, and whether there was any evidence that phone message hacking was ongoing.

The PCC statement said it found no evidence it was materially misled by the NoW, nor any evidence that phone message hacking was ongoing.

This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk