Police rule out phone-hacking probe (From Lancaster And Morecambe Citizen)

Police rule out phone-hacking probe

6:18pm Thursday 9th July 2009

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The Metropolitan Police will not conduct a new investigation into claims thousands of public figures had their phones hacked by the News of the World, Scotland Yard said.

Assistant Commissioner John Yates said the police had seen no additional evidence since its last investigation.

Mr Yates also said detectives had found no evidence that former deputy prime minister John Prescott's phone was tapped.

But he said police would now inform any potential victims that their phone may have been hacked where there was any suspicion.

He said: "No additional evidence has come to light since this case has concluded. I therefore consider that no further investigation is required.

"However, I do recognise the very real concerns, expressed ... by a number of people, who believe that their privacy may have been intruded upon.

"I therefore need to ensure that we have been diligent, reasonable and sensible, and taken all proper steps to ensure that where we have evidence that people have been the subject of any form of phone tapping, or that there is any suspicion that they might have been, that they have been informed."

The Crown Prosecution Service later said it is to carry out an urgent review of evidence of phone hacking by the News of the World.

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