Former Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, Akers joined the force in 1976 and retired at the end of 2012, having led Operation Weeting, investigating the News International phone-hacking scandal, and the related Operations Elveden and Tuleta, respectively investigating inappropriate payments to police officers and other public officials and computer hacking. Akers was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in 2007 and appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to policing.
Journalist and former newspaper editor. CEO of News International from 2009 to 2011, having previously been the youngest editor of a British national newspaper (at the News of the World from 2000 to 2003) and the first female editor of The Sun (from 2003 to 2009). Brooks was a prominent figure in the News International phone-hacking scandal, having been editor of the News of the World when illegal phone-hacking was carried out. Following a criminal trial in 2014, she was cleared of all charges by a jury at the Old Bailey, which accepted her defence that she had no knowledge of the illegal acts carried out at the newspaper she edited.
Burden has been a successful writer and entrepreneur for 20 years. His most recent book “News of the world? Fake Sheikhs & Royal Trappings” stirred up controversy by exposing the methods of those who make a living exposing others. He is a frequent commentator on matters concerning the right to privacy and blogs regularly on the subject.
Born 1957. Journalist and author and former press secretary to Tony Blair as Leader of the Opposition (1994-97) and as Prime minister (1997-2000). From 2000-2003, he was director of communications for the Labour Party (2000-03). Before 1994, he had been political editor of Today newspaper and the Daily Mirror. Campbell gave detailed testimony on the political media and what he saw as the decline of genuine investigative journalism and the increasing tendency of owners, editors and senior journalists to wish to be political players. Embellishment and pure invention were tolerated and encouraged by some editors and owners, he said.
Born 1986. A child star as a classical singer, in her teens Church experienced intense press scrutiny. She was a victim of phone hacking by the News of the World, as were numerous relatives and associates, and was party to civil actions against the paper. Her evidence to the Inquiry detailed examples of harassment and intrusion by journalists and photographers.
Former journalist and founder of PR company Max Clifford Associates, which dealt with protecting the public image of famous stars and events. He had been the victim of phone-hacking by the News of the World along with several of his clients. In 2014, Clifford was found guilty of eight counts of indecent assault on four girls and women aged between 15 and 19. He died on 10 December 2017.
Actor, comedian, victim of phone hacking by the News of the World and a leading figure in legal actions against the newspaper. He told the Leveson Inquiry that "lurid" details of his private life appeared in the News of the World after he was set up by that paper's former editor. Coogan gave extensive evidence of intrusive stalking and photographing by the Daily Mirror and Sunday Times. He said he had witnessed journalists rummaging through his rubbish bins. He had also been the victim of several kiss-and-tell stories and detailed how the women in question had been fooled and sometimes bribed into giving stories. At the heart of the problem, he thought, was the lack of accountability on the part of the editors and owners.
Journalist and political strategist, Andy Coulson was editor of the News of the World from 2003 until his resignation in 2007, following the conviction of one of the newspaper's reporters in relation to illegal phone-hacking. David Cameron appointed Coulson as communications director in 2007. Coulson resigned on 21 January 2011 as reports of News of the World phone hacking intensified. He was arrested 8 July 2011 and in 2014 found guilty of conspiracy to intercept voicemail, serving five months of an 18-month sentence.
The parents of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, whose voicemails were intercepted by the News of the World, leading to the misconception that Milly had been receiving her messages and was therefore alive. The unearthing of this practice sparked the investigations and subsequent court action against those involved, which in turn led to the establishment of the Leveson Inquiry. Designated Core Participant Victims in the Inquiry.
The parents of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, whose voicemails were intercepted by the News of the World, leading to the misconception that Milly had been receiving her messages and was therefore alive. The unearthing of this practice sparked the investigations and subsequent court action against those involved, which in turn led to the establishment of the Leveson Inquiry. Designated Core Participant Victims in the Inquiry.
Detective Chief Inspector, Specialist Crime Department at the Metropolitan Police Service. Following promotion to Detective Chief Inspector in 2003 he became Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) on the Racial and Violent Crime Task Force. Gave evidence to the Inquiry of press “intrusion” when working on Operation Fishpool in the case of the Stephen Lawrence murder.
Edmondson was news editor at the News of the World at the time of the Inquiry and answered questions on practices of phone-hacking and surveillance at that paper. In April 2011 he was arrested by the Metropolitan Police as part of Operation Weeting, which investigated phone hacking, and subsequently sentenced to seven months in prison for conspiring to intercept voicemail messages.
Director of Public Affairs for the Metropolitan Police Service from 1997, Fedorcio resigned from the position in March 2012 after the force opened disciplinary proceedings against him. An inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) into Fedorcio's award of a contract to Neil Wallis, the former deputy editor of the News of the World, found he had a case to answer for gross misconduct. Fedorcio had earlier given evidence to the Inquiry about his connections with News of the World reporters.
Criminal investigator and intelligence officer with the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) between April 2006 and July 2008, having previously undertaken the same role for HM Customs between 1990 and 2006. He told the Inquiry that while carrying out investigations into two serious crime investigations he learnt that News of the Word teams were also carrying out surveillance. He argued that this jeopardised a murder inquiry and could have had tragic consequences.
Andy Hayman was Chief Constable of Norfolk Constabulary and Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations at London's Metropolitan Police, the highest-ranking officer responsible for counter-terrorism in the UK. He was responsible for the investigation into the 7 July 2005 London bombings and was in charge of the initial inquiry into phone hacking by the News of the World. He was appointed CBE in 2006 for his handling of the investigation into the 7/7 London bombings.
Brother of Sean Hoare, a former reporter on the News of the World who played a central role in exposing the News International phone-hacking scandal. According to an inquest into his death in 2011, Sean died of liver disease and alcoholism, exacerbated by media interest in the phone-hacking scandal. Stuart spoke on behalf of his brother, who had decided to blow the whistle on phone-hacking at News International. At that time, he said, Sean had been sober for a year.
Former Assistant Chief Constable at Surrey Police, Kirkby held an internal investigation into the Surrey Police’s handling of the information accessed by the News of the World, which was obtained by hacking the voicemail of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.
Lawyer specialising in defamation and privacy law, who represented a large number of victims of intercepted voicemails. Gave details to the Inquiry of the unravelling of information about extensive phone-hacking of celebrities and others known to the police. Represented the Dowler family in their financial claim and undertook the first hacking claims against both the News of the World and Mirror Group.
Former award-winning undercover British journalist, jailed in 2015 after being found guilty of conspiring to pervert the course of justice. Before his jailing, Mahmood worked mainly for the tabloid press, spending 20 years at the News of the World and Sunday Times, during which time he was responsible for numerous investigations, including a reputed 94 that led to convictions. He became known as the "fake sheikh" due to one alias he assumed during the course of his investigations.
Author of a 2010 book called "Tabloid Girl", described as a "behind the scenes" account of life at a tabloid newspaper. Told Lord Leveson the book was a "dramatisation of [her] time in the industry" and should not be considered as a legal document. Marshall said that despite claiming to be a "true story", the book was written for entertainment and so had dramatised events. "No reliance can be placed upon those stories as providing... an indication of general practice in the journalism industry," she told the Inquiry.
