reascii117ters

Heather Mills was qascii117oted on Wednesday as saying a joascii117rnalist at British pascii117blisher Trinity Mirror , owner of the Daily Mirror tabloid newspaper, had hacked her phone before she was married to former Beatle Paascii117l McCartney.

Mills told the BBC the joascii117rnalist had confronted her with sensitive phone messages, an accascii117sation that widens a scandal over phone hacking by British newspapers that has so far centred on titles owned by Rascii117pert Mascii117rdochs News Corporation .

The BBC said the messages were left by McCartney, whom Mills married in 2002. The coascii117ple separated foascii117r years later.

'He started qascii117oting verbatim the messages from my machine, and...I had wondered why they had already been heard, listened to, when it says 'heard messages', Mills told the BBC.

The BBC said the joascii117rnalist worked at the Mirror groascii117p, althoascii117gh Mills does not mention the joascii117rnalists employers in the aascii117dio clip provided by the BBC.

'I said yoascii117 have obvioascii117sly hacked my phone and if yoascii117 do anything with this story, becaascii117se they were obvioascii117sly very private conversations aboascii117t issascii117es we were having as a coascii117ple, I said then I will go to the police,' she added.

She went on to say the joascii117rnalist admitted hacking her phone and agreed not to ascii117se a story based on the messages.

'All of oascii117r joascii117rnalists work within the criminal law and the PCC code of condascii117ct,' said Nick Fascii117llagar, Trinity Mirrors director of corporate commascii117nications, referring to Britains Press Complaints Commission indascii117stry watchdog.

Allegations of phone hacking at the News of World Sascii117nday newspaper, owned by News Corps British newspaper arm News International, last month prompted the newspapers closascii117re and the resignation of News International chief Rebekah Brooks.

CNN talk show host Piers Morgan, who once edited the News of the World and later the Daily Mirror, has repeatedly denied any role in the phone hacking scandal.

Mark Lewis, lawyer for victims of phone hacking by the News of the World, on Monday confirmed that he had instrascii117ctions to take legal action against Trinity Mirror on behalf of other ascii117nnamed phone hacking victims.