Report: News of the World Burglarized Lawmakers

And maybe celebrities, report hints
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 18, 2012 10:11 AM CDT
Report: News of the World Burglarized Lawmakers
News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch, speaks during a forum on The Economics and Politics of Immigration in Boston at which Murdoch and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012.   (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

Forget phone hacking; police now have evidence suggesting that News of the World's private detectives just plain burglarized the homes of its subjects, the Independent reports. Documents from the investigation show that police believe Southern Investigations, a PR firm the paper often employed, had "gained unauthorized access to a private domestic premises." One undercover cop who infiltrated Southern Investigations confirms that the burglaries targeted members of parliament looking for embarrassing information.

The Independent also points out that several celebrities who had their phones hacked by the paper, including Hugh Grant, and Wayne Rooney's former agent Paul Stretford, have also had break-ins in which the burglars took nothing, though there is no direct evidence suggesting a link. One MP who looked into phone hacking himself says he "met many victims who had suffered mysterious break-ins." News executives and Southern Investigations deny wrongdoing. (More News of the World stories.)

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