Committee to deliver hacking report (From Hereford Times)

Committee to deliver hacking report

5:15am Tuesday 1st May 2012 in National News © Press Association 2013

A powerful committee is to deliver its verdict on the role the Murdochs and their senior executives played in the phone hacking scandal.

MPs are also expected to rule whether Parliament has been misled over who knew what about the extent of hacking at the now-defunct News of the World.

Rupert Murdoch, his son James and Rebekah Brooks were all hauled before the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee at the height of the hacking furore.

Former News of the World editor Colin Myler, ex-legal manager Tom Crone and Les Hinton, who worked for Rupert Murdoch for more than 50 years, were also grilled during the investigation. The trio are expected to come in for stern criticism in the report, according to reports.

James Murdoch will be criticised for his handling of the scandal but MPs will stop short of claiming he was involved in covering up the scale of the problem, it has been suggested.

The committee, which investigated hacking claims in 2009, reopened its inquiry on July 12 last year after it emerged murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler's phone was hacked.

The Murdochs initially resisted calls to appear before MPs but relented after being formally summonsed. James Murdoch was recalled to the committee last November after Mr Myler and Mr Crone told MPs they had informed him at a meeting in June 2008 of the significance of a note - known as the 'For Neville' email - revealing the practice was widespread.

Mr Murdoch told the committee he had not learned until last year that the practice of illegally eavesdropping on private phone messages went beyond a single "rogue reporter".

Committee chairman John Whittingdale has since said false evidence has been given about the 2008 meeting, which was held to discuss settling a legal claim brought by Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor.

He warned Parliament could impose sanctions if the committee concludes that either Mr Murdoch or his former executives misled MPs.