Journalist, writer and campaigner. Hipwell worked on the Daily Mirror's financial column City Slickers, offering financial news, gossip and share tips. In February 2000, he was fired following allegations that the "Slickers" had been giving tips about companies in which he held stock. He was charged, convicted and imprisoned for financial criminal activity. He told the Inquiry that he had witnessed phone-hacking at the Mirror.
Finance Director and Company Secretary of Independent Print Limited at the time of the Inquiry. Gave evidence on procedures for payment of expenses, casual staff payments, etc. Said that to the best of his knowledge payments had not been made to private investigators.
Chief Financial Officer of NI Group Limited, parent company of Times Newspapers Holdings Ltd (TNHL), at the time of giving evidence. NI was also the parent company of News Group Newspapers which owned The Sun and, before its closure in July 2011, News of the World. Panuccio was asked what systems were in place to ensure that newspaper funds were not used to pay bribes or fund illegal news-gathering. Outlining new systems, she noted that cash payments had dropped substantially in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal.
Head of Marketing and Communications for Cumbria Constabulary at time of Inquiry. Prior to this, she had worked in a number of marketing and communication roles both at NatWest and at the National Farmers' Union, for whom she dealt with media inquiries throughout the foot-and-mouth disease crisis.
Solicitor who appeared on behalf of the British and Irish Ombudsman Association (BIOA), established 1993. He gave evidence on the role that a Press (or Media) Ombudsman scheme could fulfil in any new arrangements that might emerge as a result of the Inquiry’s work.
Lawyer and General Counsel for Financial Times Limited at the time of the Inquiry. Described the nature of advice that he had given journalists including on the legality of recording phone conversations and the status of leaked documents. He had never been asked to give advice on phone-hacking, he said. Bratton gave his opinion that the authority of the Press Complaints Commission had been seriously harmed by the revelations of illegal press activity.
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Financial Times Group Ltd at the time of giving evidence. Explained the FT's expenses procedures and the Anti-Bribery and Corruption policies in place at the Group. Said that, to the best of his knowledge, measures for preventing illegal information-gathering were strictly adhered to and that the FT did not make payments for stories to any sources, including private investigators, the police or public officials.
Head of Regional Fraud Risk Europe at HSBC Bank. Responsible for all aspects of fraud prevention, investigation, on-line fraud monitoring, as well as the analytical and technical response to all emerging threats. He is also a member of the Cabinet Office Counter Fraud Task Force. He was asked at the Inquiry whether his financial institution had been targeted by people trying to “blag” confidential information.
Vaghela was Group Finance Director of Trinity Mirror at the time of giving evidence. He joined Mirror Group in 1994 as an Internal Auditor and was subsequently Group Treasurer and then Director of Accounting and Treasury. He outlined the status of Trinity Mirror, which was listed on the UK Stock Exchange with no single proprietor or shareholder with a controlling stake. He said he had never felt under commercial pressure beyond promoting the success of the group through strategies that were lawful in all respects. All staff had to abide by Mirror's Code of Business Conduct which prohibited bribery, he said.
Solicitor and Partner at Linklaters, the legal representatives of News International at the Inquiry and inhouse lawyer. Walls had been appointed a partner in 1987 as an expert in contentious commercial practice, principally fraud investigation and asset recovery, insolvency and banking. The Inquiry requested Linklaters’ assistance in identifying those involved in the sourcing, preparation, writing and editing of a News of the World story in 2008 concerning Kate McCann’s diary. The NoW had ceased publishing in July 2011 and Linklaters informed the court of the difficulties this presented.
Set up by the Press Council to raise a levy on the newspaper and periodical industries to finance the Council, which had previously been funded directly by newspaper proprietors. Known as "PressBoF", it later funded the Press Complaints Commission. This arrangement was intended to ensure secure and independent financial support for effective self-regulation. The Board ceased to operate following the abolition of the Press Complaints Commission in 2014, and it was dissolved in August 2016.
