reuters

The mother of a British schoolgirl murdered in 2000 has been told by British police that her mobile phone may have been targeted by a private investigator working for the Rupert Murdoch newspaper at the centre of a hacking scandal, her charity said on Thursday.

The Phoenix Foundation, a childrens charity that Sara Payne co-founded after her daughter Sarah was killed by a paedophile 11 years ago, said police had found her details on a list seized from investigator Glenn Mulcaire, who was employed by the News of the World tabloid.

Murdochs News Corp has been rocked by weeks of allegations of wrongdoing at his British newspapers. The row has been an embarrassment for Prime Minister David Cameron, who hired a former News of the World editor as his media chief.

"Sara is absolutely devastated by this news, we are all deeply disappointed and are just working to get her through it," the charity said in a statement.

News Corp closed the 168-year-old newspaper earlier this month after a public outcry over allegations that the tabloid hacked the phone of another murdered schoolgirl, Milly Dowler.

The latest evidence is believed to relate to a phone given to Sara Payne by then News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks as a gift to help her stay in touch with her supporters, the Guardian newspaper said on its website.

The tabloid had campaigned in the wake of Sarah Paynes murder for the introduction of a so-called "Sarahs Law" disclosing the addresses of known paedophiles.

Sara Payne wrote a farewell column for the papers final edition on July 10, referring to its staff as "my good and trusted friends".

Former interior minister Jacqui Smith said she was shocked by the latest allegations.

"If this is true, it is a very great betrayal of her by people who had worked alongside her to try to improve the safety of children in this country," she told BBC television.

Shadow Culture Secretary Ivan Lewis told the BBC: "This will add to the shock and revulsion that people around the country will feel."

There was no immediate comment from Scotland Yard or News International, parent company of the News of the World and part of News Corp.