Self-confessed phone hacker Glenn Mulcaire accessed the new identities of individuals put under witness protection but Scotland Yard took no action, it has been claimed. BBC Panorama reported on Wednesday that the Metropolitan Police had evidence in 2006, during a previous investigation into phone hacking, that Mulcaire had accessed the highly secret information.
It claimed that four of those targeted have only recently been told that they were victims, including Robert Thompson, who murdered James Bulger, and fellow child killer Mary Bell.
Ex-Metropolitan police officer Brian Paddick, told the programme: "The Witness Protection Scheme is a very expensive operation to give people who've been convicted of very serious offences and people who are very vulnerable witnesses - to give them a completely new identity, so they can have a completely fresh start. For that information to get into the hands of journalists is potentially putting people's lives at risk"
The force insisted that there was no evidence to suggest an officer had leaked the information, and said that instead Mulcaire obtained the information via phone hacking. Injunctions protect the new identities of certain individuals, including Thompson. The Attorney General will consider an alleged breach of an injunction by Mulcaire after all criminal trials linked to the current hacking and bribery investigations have finished.
A spokesman said: "In April 2012 the Attorney General's Office was notified by the Metropolitan Police that there was a potential breach of an injunction by Glenn Mulcaire. The Attorney General is responsible for taking action when certain injunctions have been breached, but as criminal matters are still ongoing, these cases take precedence."
A spokesman for Scotland Yard confirmed that information was uncovered in 2006 showing that identities had been compromised. He said details emerged in a report which was produced after investigators on the 2006 inquiry, Operation Caryatid, asked police technology experts to examine certain exhibits.
"There was concern that within the report there were the details of a person/s who were given a new identity/ies who were subject to a witness protection programme but not in London. There is no record that shows that any further action was taken. The risk of harm was significantly reduced when Operation Caryatid successfully prosecuted, convicted and imprisoned Glenn Mulcaire."
Later, when Operation Weeting, the recent phone-hacking probe, was launched, protected identities were found in Mulcaire's notes. The witness protection teams dealing with those affected were told, with the intention of informing the victims.
The spokesman said: "There was no evidence that any MPS police officer or police staff compromised information on persons protected by the Witness Protection Unit (WPU) and Mulcaire obtained information on such individuals by using the same techniques as he used against celebrities, politicians and other individuals the newspapers were interested in."
The Phone Hacking Verdicts
Rebekah Brooks(01 of11)
Open Image ModalBrooks was acquitted of all charges she faced over phone hacking.NOT GUILTY: Count 1: Conspiracy to intercept communications between 2000 and 2006.NOT GUILTY: Count 4: Conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office between January 2004 and January 2012, which related to an alleged attempt to bribe an official to acquire a picture of Prince William in a bikini.NOT GUILTY 5: Conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office between 2006 and 2008.NOT GUILTY: Count 6: Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in July 2011 - she was alleged to have tried to conceal notebooks. NOT GUILTY: Count 7: Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in July 2011 - alleged to have attempted to hide documents and computers from the police. (credit:Getty)
Andy Coulson(02 of11)
Open Image ModalCoulson was convicted of phone hacking in his time at the NoTW. The jury failed to reach verdicts in two other counts.GUILTY: Count 1: Conspiracy to commit intercept communications between September 2000 and August 2006.NO VERDICT: Counts 2 and 3: Conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office. (credit:Press Association)
Charlie Brooks(03 of11)
Open Image ModalBrooks was acquitted of one charge he faced that related to an alleged attempt to conceal evidence from police who were investigating phone hacking.NOT GUILTY: Count 7: Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in July 2011. (credit:Press Association)
Stuart Kuttner(04 of11)
Open Image ModalThe former managing editor of the NoTW was cleared of one charge of phone hacking.NOT GUILTY: Count 1: Conspiracy to intercept communications between September 2000 and August 2006. (credit:Press Association)
Cheryl Carter(05 of11)
Open Image ModalCarter, Brooks' PA, was acquitted of the one count she faced. She was accused of conspiring to conceal Rebekah Brooks' incriminating notebooks.NOT GUILTY: Count 6: Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in July 2011. (credit:Press Association)
Mark Hanna(06 of11)
Open Image ModalHanna, News International's then head of security, was cleared over allegations he helped conceal evidence from police.NOT GUILTY: Count 7: Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in July 2011. (credit:Press Association)
Clive Goodman(07 of11)
Open Image ModalThe jury went back to consider verdicts relating to the charges Goodman, former royal editor at the NoTW, faces but failed to reach any verdict.NO VERDICT: Counts 2 and 3: Conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office. (credit:Press Association)
Neville Thurlbeck(08 of11)
Open Image ModalThurlbeck, former news editor at the NoTW, admitted phone hacking before the trial began.GUILTY: Count 1: Conspiracy to intercept communications between September 2000 and August 2006.
Glenn Mulcaire(09 of11)
Open Image ModalThe private investigator had already admitted phone hacking.GUILTY: Count 1: Conspiring to intercept communications between September 2000 and August 2006. (credit:Press Association)
James Weatherup(10 of11)
Open Image ModalWeatherup, also a former news editor at the NoTW, has pleaded guilty to phone hacking.GUILTY: Count 1: Conspiring to intercept communications between September 2000 and August 2006. (credit:Press Association)
Greg Miskiw(11 of11)
Open Image ModalFormer journalist at The NoTW Greg Miskiw also pleaded guilty to phone hacking.GUILTY: Count 1: Conspiring to intercept communications between September 2000 and August 2006. (credit:Press Association)