British journalist who worked for the News of the World for 21 years before being dismissed in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal in 2011. Thurlbeck was arrested as part of Operation Weeting and was subsequently sacked by News International. He later sued for unfair dismissal and settled the case in court. His memoir, Tabloid Secrets: The Stories Behind the Headlines at the World's Most Famous Newspaper, was published in May 2015.