Phone hacking apology ‘will not stop legal action’

THE News of the World publicly apologised yesterday for hacking into the voicemail of numerous top celebrities, in a scandal that has engulfed top politicians, royals and stars.

As it sought to draw a line under the furore, the Rupert Murdoch-owned weekly tabloid said sorry to its victims, saying its actions had been “unacceptable”.

The Sunday paper said it had admitted liability in some cases and planned to pay compensation from a fund being set up, reportedly worth around £20 million (€28.27m).

However, several victims seem unlikely to accept the compensation offer, preferring instead to get the full extent of the phone-hacking revealed in open court.

Referring to the victims, the News of the World said: “We publicly and unreservedly apologise to all such individuals.

“What happened to them should not have happened. It was and remains unacceptable,” added the paper, in the article printed on page two, headlined “Voicemail interception: An apology”.

The News of the World’s public statement came after the paper’s owner, News International, said sorry for phone hacking on Friday.

Actress Sienna Miller is believed to be among those offered settlements from the compensation fund.

But Miller shows little sign of dropping her ongoing legal action.

Her lawyer Mark Thomson insisted the star’s “primary concern is to discover the whole truth and for all those responsible to be held to account”.

Lawyer Charlotte Harris, who is involved in several of the cases, said the apology left several unanswered questions.

“It’s all very well saying ‘okay, fine, we admit that happened’, but how are we meant to know the extent of what happened?”, she told BBC radio.

“It’s not just about money. We want to know who was it you listened to, who else was involved, how far up, exactly what period, what else have you got, why weren’t we told?

“These questions... can only be answered if we carry on with the cases.”

As well as Miller, former cabinet minister Tessa Jowell and sports commentator Andy Gray are reported to be among those offered pay-offs.

Treasury Secretary Danny Alexander described the hacking as “outrageous” and “a very serious scandal”.