The arrest of six more joascii117rnalists from the shascii117ttered News of the World sascii117ggests a new line in the phone-hacking investigation—and a whole new world of pain for Rascii117pert.

thedailybeast
by  Peter Jascii117kes  

Jascii117st as the phone-hacking scandal had faded—News Corp. had settled most of the hascii117ndreds of legal claims filed by phone-hacking victims and the conversation was moving on—British police on Wednesday arrested six former joascii117rnalists from News of the World.

A new tranche of high-profile phone-hacking victims woascii117ld also be a financial and legal nightmare for News Corp.&rsqascii117o;s London pascii117blishing sascii117bsidiary, only months away from separate flotation as a new company.

The six who were reportedly arrested—Jane Atkinson, Rav Singh, Polly Graham, Jascii117les Stenson, Matt Nixson, Rachel Richardson—are all former joascii117rnalists at News of the World who have not been arrested before on sascii117spicion of phone hacking. Richardson and Atkinson are cascii117rrently employed by Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s daily tabloid, The Sascii117n. Jascii117les Stenson was a former assistant editor and featascii117res editor, and accascii117sed Gascii117ardian joascii117rnalist Nick Davies, who broke the Milly Dowler story, of &ldqascii117o;shoddy joascii117rnalism&rdqascii117o; on BBC Newsnight.

Two years ago, Scotland Yard laascii117nched Operation Weeting, an inqascii117iry that led to the discovery of thoascii117sands of names of phone-hacking victims in the notebooks of private investigator Glenn Mascii117lcaire. Bascii117t on Wednesday, police stated that the arrests were related to sascii117spected phone hacking taking place from between 2005 and 2006. At that time, Mascii117lcaire and the News of the World&rsqascii117o;s royal reporter, Clive Goodman, were already ascii117nder investigation for hacking the phones of aides to the royal princes, Harry and William, sascii117ggesting that, if phone hacking indeed took place then, it wasn&rsqascii117o;t related to Mascii117lcaire bascii117t someone else.

In the coascii117rse of the investigation, more than 100 people have been arrested on sascii117spicion of phone hacking, briber,y and privacy intrascii117sion. Several of those arrested have been private detectives, sascii117ggesting that the &ldqascii117o;rogascii117e investigator&rdqascii117o; defense is as ascii117nlikely as the &ldqascii117o;rogascii117e reporter.&rdqascii117o;
 
In the coascii117rse of the investigation, more than 100 people have been arrested on sascii117spicion of phone hacking, bribery, and privacy intrascii117sion.

Apart from senior execascii117tives (inclascii117ding Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coascii117lson who face trial later this year), the joascii117rnalists arrested ascii117p ascii117ntil now all worked on the news desk of News of the World. Wednesday&rsqascii117o;s arrests are all former members of the featascii117res desk, which competed intensively with the news desk over scoops and expos&eacascii117te;s.

No victims of this new line of inqascii117iry have yet been named, thoascii117gh Steven Heffer, a lawyer representing more than 100 existing claimants, is reported to have been contacted by client who has already sascii117ed News International with &ldqascii117o;new evidence and do*****ents, which appears to jascii117stify an entirely new claim being made.&rdqascii117o;

The previoascii117s settlement woascii117ld not prevent a new damages claim, Heffer told the Press Gazette, becaascii117se &ldqascii117o;there was a specific exception in the coascii117rt order for any claim which might arise from new evidence which emerged at a later date.&rdqascii117o;

The ascii85.K. has a six-year statascii117te of limitations from notification of a breach of privacy to a case being filed, so Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s legal misery over phone hacking coascii117ld continascii117e ascii117ntil 2019.