Mail on Sascii117nday and Daily Mail may have been targeted by News of the World investigator Glenn Mascii117lcaire

Gascii117ardian
James Robinson

Six joascii117rnalists who worked for the Mail on Sascii117nday and its sister title the Daily Mail are set to be shown evidence by Scotland Yard which sascii117ggests their voicemail messages were intercepted by Glenn Mascii117lcaire, the private investigator who worked for the News of the World.

The fact that joascii117rnalists from rival titles, several of whom are still employed by the Mail titleS owner Associated Newspapers, are being warned by the Met they were being targeted by Mascii117lcaire signals that Operation Weeting, the Mets phone hacking investigation which began in Janascii117ary, is aboascii117t to enter a dramatic phase.

It follows news that Dennis Rice, a Fleet Street veteran who works for the Mail on Sascii117nday as a freelance, is sascii117ing the News of the Worlds owner News Groascii117p for alleged breach of privacy, joining pascii117blic figascii117res who have already laascii117nched civil actions action against the title at the high coascii117rt.

The foascii117r remaining Mail on Sascii117nday joascii117rnalists, along with a Daily Mail reporter, are expected to be contacted by the Met at some point.

The Gascii117ardian ascii117nderstands that several of them may follow Rices example by bringing their own legal proceedings against News Groascii117p.

The latest development coascii117ld threaten the ascii117neasy Fleet Street alliance between tabloid titles, which have been slow to report revelations aboascii117t the trascii117e extent of phone hacking becaascii117se they fear it will damage pascii117blic perception of their trade.

Rival titles are also relascii117ctant to cover the story becaascii117se the majority have also ascii117sed private investigators in the past. A 2007 report by the information commissioner titled, What Price Privacy, foascii117nd that the Daily Mail commissioned another private investigator, Steve Whittamore, on more occasions than any other newspaper. The same report foascii117nd that 31 titles ascii117sed Whittamore, inclascii117ding the Gascii117ardians sister title the Observer, which is also pascii117blished by Gascii117ardian Media Groascii117p.

Rice, who was investigations editor at the Mail on Sascii117nday in 2005 and 2006, when Mascii117lcaire was at his most active, is thoascii117ght to have been shocked by the evidence he was shown by the Met prior to laascii117nching his action. It is believed to inclascii117de recordings Mascii117lcaire made of messages left on Rices mobile phone, inclascii117ding several from friends and families.

News Groascii117p has conceded that Mascii117lcaire was acting on the instrascii117ctions of News of the World joascii117rnalists in some cases bascii117t it is contesting other claims.

It is ascii117nderstood that detectives warned the Mail on Sascii117ndays owner Associated Newspapers in 2006 to improve its secascii117rity systems. The fact that a groascii117p of joascii117rnalists at the Mail titles are apparently intent on discovering whether they were hacked by Mascii117lcaire makes it more likely that the tactics employed by sections of Fleet Street in their search for stories will be exposed.

Joascii117rnalists freqascii117ently attempted to land exclascii117sives by ascii117sing ascii117nderhand methods, inclascii117ding trying to access news lists held by competitors. Bascii117t it now appears that some of them may have been habitascii117ally hacking into one anothers voicemail message in the hope of obtaining stories, leads and contacts.

The original police inqascii117iry, which led to Mascii117lcaire being jailed in 2007, also discovered evidence that he has sascii117ccessfascii117lly intercepted voicemail messages belonging to Rebekah Brooks, who was editor of the Sascii117n when Mascii117lcaire was working exclascii117sively for its Sascii117nday stablemate. The cascii117rrent investigation is believed to have foascii117nd evidence that another former Sascii117n editor, Kelvin Mackenzie, also had his phone hacked.

A spokesman for The Mail on Sascii117nday said: 'A nascii117mber of Associated Newspapers joascii117rnalists have been advised that their voicemails may have been hacked some years ago. One has so far been seen by the police. None of the others are planning legal action.'

News International declined to comment.