The Met police have obtained a High Court Order allowing them access to a specific statement of the Glenn Mulcaire private detective. In the statement he names the individuals who he states ordered him to hack phones whilst working at The News of the World.
Justice Vos said on Monday that it would not be right if the Met police, who are investigating the alleged crime, were ‘kept in the dark’ whilst investigating ‘serious allegations’ of wrongdoing. Vos went on to say that is was ‘plainly of public interest’, referring to the investigation.
Mulcaire was ordered to answer questions from solicitors acting for PR Consultant Nicola Phillips, after a supreme court ruling earlier in July.
The statement of Glenn Mulcaire revealed the names of those who instructed him to hack the individuals phones. Lawyers acting for the various claimants were worried that Mulcaire would say that he could not remember the names of those at the News of the World.
Vos went on to say that the statement of the private detective Mulcaire ‘contains positive information which may be of some benefit to the police investigation’.
Vos however, in a second Order, banned those who were victims of phone hacking from being allowed to know the exact contents of Mulcaire’s statement because of fears of it being leaked.
There are around 400 claimants and Vos voiced concerned that the contents of the statement would come out accidentally.
Vos ensured that those all present in the court knew that contempt of court was in place and if any of Glenn Mulcaire’s statement was leaked by anyone including press, claimants and solicitors.
Vos mentioned ‘in many more normal cases the cat may be, as one might say’ out of the bag. Here he is referring to an informal arrangement not to mention anything had created an effective wall of confidentiality.