James Murdoch: I wasn’t told of wider hacking
News International chief James Murdoch has told MPs he was not made aware of the extent of phone hacking at the News of the World in 2008.
He previously told MPs he was not aware of the “for Neville” email when he signed off an out of court settlement.
On Thursday he said he was made aware of an email containing transcripts of voicemails but was unaware it suggested hacking went beyond one reporter.
He also said two former executives had given MPs “misleading” evidence.
Mr Murdoch, who is giving evidence for a second time to the culture, media and sport committee, told them on Thursday he had not been shown a copy of the “For Neville” email at a 10 June 2008 meeting, when he agreed to increase an out-of-court offer to the footballers’ union leader Gordon Taylor.
‘Not mentioned’
He said he was given “sufficient information to authorise the increase of the settlement offer” but “was given no more than that”. He said the document was never referred to as the “for Neville” email, and was not informed that it suggested evidence of widespread wrongdoing.
“The nature of the so-called ‘For Neville’ email… any wider spread or evidence or suspicion of wider spread of wrongdoing - none of these things were mentioned to me,” he said.
He denied misleading the committee at a hearing in July, when he told the committee he had not been “aware” of an email suggesting hacking went beyond a single “rogue” reporter, Clive Goodman, who was jailed for four months in 2007.