‘Much worse to come’
Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of its parent company, News Inter-national, was reported to have told journalists working on the newspaper that it had to close as there was another two years of trouble ahead.
Police investigating a culture of hacking into phones of crime victims, celebrities and politicians have already identified more than 4,000 potential victims.
The Guardian also reported yesterday that Scotland Yard is investigating claims that a News International employee deleted massive quantities of emails from an internal archive, in an apparent bid to obstruct the inquiry.
The archive is believed to date back to January 2005 and logged daily contact between News of the World editors, reporters and outsiders, including private investigators.
Meanwhile, former Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson and ex-royal editor Clive Goodman were released on bail last night after being questioned about the scandal.
Coulson, a former editor of the newspaper who went on to become communications chief for British Prime Minister David Cameron, was questioned about phone hacking and alleged corrupt payments to police officers.
“There is an awful lot I would like to say, but I can’t at this time,” the 43-year-old said as he left Lewisham police station in London.
Goodman was also quizzed over claims officers were bribed.
An unidentified 63-year-old man was also arrested as part of the inquiry last night at an address in Surrey.
Sources said the man is believed to be a private investigator who worked for the News of the World.
Coulson resigned his Downing Street post last January, saying claims about illegal eavesdropping under his editorship were making his job impossible.
A number of charities — including the Salvation Army, Care International and the RSPCA — have rejected an offer to advertise for free in the newspaper’s final edition.
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