NOTW Boss Blamed Over Kate McCann's Diary

NOTW Boss Blamed Over Kate McCann's Diary


3:52pm UK,
Thursday 09 February 2012



Video: NOTW Boss Blamed Over Kate
McCann's Diary
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A former senior executive at the News Of The World (NOTW) has
said he was told to mislead the McCanns' spokesman about the newspaper's plans
to publish Kate McCann's diary.

Ian Edmondson told the Leveson inquiry that former editor Colin Myler told
him to have a "woolly" conversation with Clarence Mitchell about plans to print
the diary - to cover up what the newspaper was planning to do.



Mrs McCann previously told the inquiry she felt "violated" and like "climbing
into a hole and not coming out" when the intensely private journal appeared in
the now-defunct paper in September 2008.

Mr Myler has said he would never have published the diary - obtained from a
Portuguese journalist - if he had realised she was not aware of what the paper
was planning to do.





He said Mr Edmondson - a former head of news at the NOTW - told him he had
cleared the story with Clarence Mitchell.

The NOTW's ex-legal manager Tom Crone has also told the inquiry he understood
a representative of the McCanns gave the tabloid permission to publish the
diary.

But the inquiry has heard that a transcript of a phone call between Mr
Edmondson and Mr Mitchell about the story the paper was planning was "most
clearly ambiguous", and the spokesman has denied Mr Edmondson ever told him what
the paper was really planning.

Mr Edmondson explained to the inquiry that he had not made it clear, on the
express instructions of Mr Myler.

"Tom (Crone) gave his legal view which I am told I am not allowed to repeat
but which dismayed, shall I say, Mr Myler," he said.

"So he decided to ask me to make a call to Mr Mitchell, not make it clear
what we had, telling him in general terms, basically make it woolly.



"I think someone previously used the word ambiguous, that is absolutely spot
on what he wanted.

"He was frightened that if Clarence knew what we had, he might take
action."

Mr Edmondson, who was arrested on suspicion of conspiring to intercept
voicemail messages last year and is on bail, is bringing an unfair dismissal
claim against NOTW publisher News International.

Speaking after Mr Edmondson's evidence, Mr Mitchell said: "I feel entirely
vindicated.

"I have always said the NOTW actively sought to deceive me over the
publication of Kate's diary.

"But to hear that it was apparently done at the editor's direct behest was
particularly shocking, if not surprising. Clearly Mr
Myler now has some serious questions to answer.

"The distress this episode caused Kate, Gerry and myself was immense. I am
glad we are getting to the truth at last."

Mr Edmondson told the inquiry there was a culture of bullying at the
newspaper.

"Was Mr Myler part of the culture of bullying?" Robert Jay, counsel to the
inquiry, asked.

Mr Edmondson replied: "Yes."

He told the inquiry: "Everything emanates from the editor."

If you click "enlage" then Video you can watch the Ian Edmondson interview .

How did the diary get into the possession of the News of the World. Kate McCann must have given it away in the first place. Unless it was stolen. What a fuss about nothing. If you don't want something published you don't give it to a journalist. You'd think that was basic common sense. Still you would have thought that knowing you shouldn't leave under fours home alone was basic common sense too.

They blamed the pj....a rogue officer sold it to a Portuguese newspaper and the NOTW supposedly just copied it.

I don't think the NOTW copied it, they bought it from the Portugese Newspaper.

It was printed in the portuguese newspaper first......

kitti wrote:It was printed in the portuguese newspaper first......

Yes, I know, but the Portugese Paper obviously printed in Portugese so the NOTW paid for the actual English Diary copy.