Witness list week commencing 12 December 2011

http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Witness-List-wc-12-12-11.pdf

Hearings:

http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/hearings/

Wednesday 13 December 2011

Colin Myler - former editor of the News of the World

According to the evidence of Gerry McCann, Myler was "irate" that the couple had agreed to do an interview with Hello! magazine - a rival publication.

"It would be fair to say that Mr Myler was irate when he learned of the publication, and was berating us for not doing an interview with the News of the World, and told us 'how supportive' the News of the World had been," McCann said.

"It was a time of stress for us on the first anniversary when we were actually launching a new campaign, a new call number for people to come forward so that we could continue the search for our daughter, and we were interacting with the media to get that message out.

"He basically beat us into submission, verbally, and we agreed to do an interview the following day."

Will Myler be asked/respond to this accusation?


Thursday 15 December 2011

Daniel Sanderson - journalist who wrote 'Kate's Diary: In Her Own Words' for the News of the World

Kate McCann told the Leveson Inquiry how she felt "totally violated" after the publication by the News of the World of her personal diaries.

The McCanns want an investigation into how the diary, which was seized and copied by Portuguese police, was leaked to the Murdoch tabloid.

In his original article Sanderson states: 'The 135-page journal covering April 28, 2007 to Tuesday, July 31, was passed to us by a reporter in Portugal appalled by the sickening smear campaign against the McCanns.'

Will Sanderson have anymore to add?


http://www.mccannfiles.com/id232.html

Tail end of Tom Crone's evidence being heard before today's witnesses ...


11.12am: Crone is now being asked about his involvement in the publication of Kate MCann's diary.

"I was the lawyer on the News of the World that weekend and I played some part in clearing it up afterwards," he says.

He adds that it was his understanding that the McCanns had given the head of news permission to publish.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/blog/2011/dec/14/leveson-inquiry-colin-myler-jon-chapman-live

ETA - I am listening to live stream and I think I heard someone say that there were emails to back this up.

almostgothic wrote:Tail end of Tom Crone's evidence being heard before today's witnesses ...


11.12am: Crone is now being asked about his involvement in the publication of Kate MCann's diary.

"I was the lawyer on the News of the World that weekend and I played some part in clearing it up afterwards," he says.

He adds that it was his understanding that the McCanns had given the head of news permission to publish.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/blog/2011/dec/14/leveson-inquiry-colin-myler-jon-chapman-live

Very interesting. Pass the popcorn......

almostgothic wrote:

Thanks

Oh, I am really interested now!

Whose been naughty and lying to the Inquiry?

Will be interesting to hear Myler and Sanderson elaborate on this point about permission.
Wonder if they will reveal the contents and author of the emails ...

News of the World Kate McCann diary story



11.12am: Crone is now being asked about his involvement in the publication of Kate MCann's diary.

"I was the lawyer on the News of the World that weekend and I played some part in clearing it up afterwards," he says.

He adds that it was his understanding that the McCanns had given the head of news permission to publish.


Image
News of the World Kate McCann diary story



11.12am: Crone is now being asked about his involvement in the publication of Kate MCann's diary.

"I was the lawyer on the News of the World that weekend and I played some part in clearing it up afterwards," he says.

He adds that it was his understanding that the McCanns had given the head of news permission to publish.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/blog/20 ... apman-live

Witness Statement of Tom Crone

Transcripts:

http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Witness-Statement-of-Tom-Crone.pdf
http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Witness-Statement-of-Tom-Crone.pdf

guys,
on the bbc news just now,
colin myler is denying having berated the mccanns for giving an interview with hello

myers is now saying that mitchell and the mccanns knew it was to publish kate's diaries

From the Guardian, live:

1pm: Myler says he had been given a categorical assurance that the McCanns' representative Clarence Mitchell knew what they were about to do.


Edmondson had no view that there was anything ambiguous in what we were going to do.

However, Lord Justice Leveson describes a transcript of a conversation between Edmondson and Mitchell before the diaries were published as "ambiguous" and "not terribly clear".

4.36pm: Myler says:


I think the extracts that appeared in Portugal were very limited, but there was a transcript of a conversation where he explains to me that he's trying to get me to go big with it. In the course of that conversation Mr Mitchell tells me that he recalls an event where they [diaries had been used in part in the Portuguese press] … but only selective parts.

Asked why he apogised to the McCanns, Myler says:


I felt very bad that she didn't know. Without her permission I wouldn't publish them. Why would I do something as personal as that, however much behind the shield of nailing the lies of the Portuguese police?

I don't think that would be sufficient for the grief it caused her. I had nothing to gain and everything to lose.

4.30pm: Myler is asked why he did not phone Gerry McCann and ask whether the News of the World had the consent to publish the diaries.

He replies:


Ian Edmondson had assured me on more that one occasion that [the McCanns' spokesman] Clarence [Mitchell] was aware of what we were intending to do and had said 'good'. I think it was very clear from Edmondson's point of view that he had spelled out what he wanted to do. I didn't want Kate coming out of church on Sunday morning and finding that her diaries were public knowledge.

4.28pm: The paper entered into a formal agreement on September 5, involving "a substantial sum of money to secure the diaries of McCann for exclusive publication".

4.24pm: Myler says elements of the diaries had already been published in Portuguese papers, and as far as he recalls the Portuguese journalist was also the source of these stories.

He agrees that the diaries "probably emanated" from the Portuguese police.

4.22pm: Jay recounts the background to the publication of the Kate McCann private diaries.

The story was presented to him by news editor Ian Edmondson, who said he had a copy of the diary.

The source, Jay says, was a Portuguese journalist. The dieries were available for €3,000 in total and had come from the Portuguese police in some way.

4.19pm: Myler on the McCanns' privacy:


I was very aware that they did enjoy and protect their own privacy and space. They had a lot going on, the pressure was pretty intense.

The point I'm making is I didn't abuse that. Unless there was a reason to specifically discuss, I didn't want to waste their time.

4.17pm: Myler is asked about Gerry McCann's claims three weeks ago at the inquiry that Myler had an "irate" phone call with the couple following a decision to do an interview with Hello! magazine.

Myler says:


I was surprised to hear that from Gerry. I think he said I berated him. I do not have a reputation for berating people.

4.16pm: Jay now raises the issue of the McCann diaries.

Myler says in paragraph five and six in his statement the newspaper was "very supportive" of the McCanns and he wouldn't adopt the stance taken by other papers.

The paper had a very succesful campaign and raised £1.5m in 48 hours. He spoke to Gerry McCann frequently – every few weeks, depending on what was happening.

I find this all a total waste of time and effort, its all a whitewash, why would Myler when having the chance NOT slate Gerry and Kate off for blaming him, he is in the best position speaking at the inquiry, why not give as much back and stick up for himself.....this just dosen't sit right imo

When the McCanns were giving "their evidence" they give both barrels, I really would like to know what the hell is going on, and why Levison gave the McCanns such an easy ride........All I can think of is the McCanns are in deep poo, and Levison et al, Editors and Journos have been told to stay quiet so that the McCanns can't say they have been treated unfairly, because no matter what happens next year, the one thing Team McCann can't say is that they had a "Trial by Media" because they haven't.

frencheuropean,
thank you for that transcript,
i missed a great deal of what was said after my little offering...
i would love to see someone put down in simple language what is or is not being said,
it's all too ambiguous and downright misleading.

Hello Blossom!

According to the Guardian:
.........................................................................................................................................................................
4.49pm: The Leveson inquiry has now ended for the day.

Colin Myler has been asked to continue giving evidence tomorrow morning when investigator Derek Webb will testify, as will Daniel Sanderson, the former News of the World journalist whose name appeared on the story about Kate McCann's diaries..

thanks for that heads up frencheuropean,
i shall be glued to me telly tomorrow...
i am a complete current affairs freak,
and all this is up my street totally.

Andy Davies, Home Affairs Correspondent Channel 4 News.

adavies4 Andy Davies
Clarence Mitchell has just claimed to my colleague that at no point did Edmondson spell out to him #NOTW had Kate McCann's diary.

adavies4 Andy Davies
Mitchell says he received 1 phone call from #NOTW's Edmondson on the Friday night and 1 text on Sat night before publication...

adavies4 Andy Davies
Edmondson's text, claims Mitchell, was along the lines of #NOTW to expose Portuguese lies.


adavies4 Andy Davies
Suffice it to say, Clarence Mitchell v angry about claim that he OK'd Kate McCann diary publication.


_______________


Lord Justice Leveson thinks that the documented convos between Edmondson and Mitchell are ambiguous.
Ambiguity though can go either way. And ambiguity on whose part? One party or both?

Ah well, confusion is good, saith the Sainted Gerald ......

id like to see those exchanges and decide about ambiguity.

8:08pm UK, Wednesday December 14, 2011



David Bowden, senior news correspondent






The News Of The World's (NOTW) former legal manager has said
he told James Murdoch there was "direct and hard evidence" that phone
hacking extended beyond a single reporter.


Less than 24 hours after the News International executive chairman
re-iterated that he had not seen the crucial 'For Neville' hacking
email, Tom Crone told the Leveson Inquiry his former boss had got it
wrong.


He told the panel he took the email to a meeting with James Murdoch and the paper's then-editor Colin Myler.


Mr Crone told the inquiry: "I took a copy, plus spare copies of the
front page of the 'For Neville' email...I'm pretty sure I held up the
front page of the email, I'm also pretty sure he already knew about it."


Yet in a letter to the Select Committee this week, and in person last
month, James Murdoch was adamant he did not know anything about the
transcript of hacked phone messages.










Colin Myler was aked about his dealings with the McCanns





The dispute re-opens the debate about who knew what and when at the top of News International with regard to phone hacking.


Later the paper's former editor Colin Myler told the panel that if
there had been any criminality at the paper "the full force of the law
should take care of them".


He also spoke about the publication of Kate McCann's diaries which
she told the inquiry three weeks ago had left her feeling violated and
vulnerable.


Mr Myler said he had been reassured that the family's spokesman
Clarence Mitchell was aware of the paper's intention to print the diary.


"I stressed very clearly by using the phrase that I did not want Kate
to come out of church on Sunday morning and find that the diaries were
there without her knowledge, I wouldn't have published if I thought she
hadn't been made aware."


Colin Myler said when he discovered Kate McCann did not in fact know
about the publication he apologised and made a "substantial" donation to
their charity.


Read the Sky News team's updates from the day's proceedings here:




He also said he was "surprised" to hear Gerry McCann tell the inquiry
last month that Mr Myler was "irate" after the couple gave an interview
to Hello! magazine.


The former editor said: "I had no cause at all at any time to berate
or be irate with Gerry. Indeed the relationship was such that he would
call and thank me for what the News of the World was doing. It was a
relationship that I valued."


Mr Myler will continue his evidence on Thursday morning when he will
almost certainly be asked what he knew about the extent of phone hacking
at the paper he used to run.


Earlier Lord Justice Leveson told his inquiry he believes police
should clear up who was responsible for deleting Milly Dowler's
voicemails.



The inquiry chief said: "My present view is that this has achieved
such a significance that it cannot be left alone... I think doing
nothing is probably not an option."










Mr Myler with the last edition of the NOTW in July





It had been thought the NOTW deleted the messages while Milly was
missing - an act that led to her parents being given false hope.



But it has since emerged that they were probably deleted
automatically by the phone system, 72 hours after they were listened to.


It was the revelation that Milly's phone had been hacked that took
the hacking scandal to a new level and precipitated the Sunday tabloid's
closure.


Neil Garnham QC, counsel for the Metropolitan Police, says officers
are putting together a briefing document containing as "comprehensive an
analysis of the background" as possible.


The inquiry was told that journalist from the Daily Mail's Ephraim Hardcastle column contacted the Dowler family's lawyer on Monday.



The reporter had asked if the Dowlers would be giving back the £2m
paid out by News International after new details suggested the NOTW did
not delete Milly's messages, it heard.


Their barrister David Sherborne said he had referred the matter to the Press Complaints Commission.










Claims about Milly Dowler's voicemails escalated the hacking scandal





The Dowler family's lawyer Mark Lewis later told Sky's Boulton &
Co show that doubts about whether the NOTW was responsible for deleting
the voicemails should not change the complexion of the scandal.


He said: "I don't know who did it but what I do know is that messages
were actively deleted. I do know that one of the News Of The World
journalists had Milly Dowler's pin number and Milly Dowler's phone
number. There is no question about that.


"There is no question that voicemails of Milly Dowler were hacked by people at the News Of The World.


"There is no doubt that the News Of The World had information that
they didn't give to police about Milly Dowler... They kept it for
themselves. They didn't tell the family they had information for over a
week."







Recommended Stories
Q&A:

In the NOTW Article publishing part of the Diary it says an undisclosed sum was paid to the McCanns , so if true, how can Kate now say she was
devastated. I"m sure the NOTW will find the evidence of such a payment if necessary.

http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=48450&c=1

Colin Myler: I did not berate the McCanns over Hello story

15 December 2011

By Andrew Pugh

Former News of the World editor Colin Myler yesterday claimed he would not have published excerpts from Kate McCann’s diary without permission – but was told by his news editor Ian Edmondson that the family’s spokesman Clarence Mitchell had given them the go-ahead.

The claim has since beeny denied by Mitchell.

At the Leveson Inquiry last month Kate McCann said she felt “mentally raped” after the NoW published transcripts from her personal diary on 14 September 2008 under the headline “Kate’s Diary: In her own words”, and said it was done without prior notice.

The McCanns claimed that before the article was published Edmondson told Mitchell they were writing a “positive piece” but did not mention the diary, and if they had known they would have considered taking legal action to prevent publication.

Also speaking to the Leveson Inquiry, Gerry McCann said that Myler had "berated" him in an "angry" phone call because the McCanns gave an exclusive story to Hello magazine - rather than the News of the World.

Yesterday Myler revealed the diaries came from a female Portuguese journalist.

He insisted that Edmondson told him he had cleared the story with Mitchell, telling the inquiry: "Ian Edmondson had assured me on more than one occasion that Clarence was aware of what we were intending to do and had said, 'good'.

"I think it was very clear from Mr Edmondson's point of view how he had spelt out what he was doing."

On the subject of the "angry" phone call too Gerry McCann, Myler said: "I don't have a reputation for berating people." He added that he "simply pointed out" his "surprise" that they took their story to Hello with a circulation, he said, of around 300,000 compared with the News of the World's three million plus sale.

Responding to the diary claims, Mitchell said: "At no point in the one brief call that I received from Ian Edmondson on the Friday evening before publication did he spell out categorically that they had purchased a version of Kate's diary that had been leaked by the Portuguese police and that they were planning to publish it in as big a way as they subsequently did.

"He led me to believe that they were looking to do a positive story on an inside page based on leaks in the Portuguese press of quotes in an alleged diary that had already appeared in Portugal in previous days.

"I told him that we were in no way encouraging any such coverage of a diary, or even confirming that any diary existed.

"However, I said if they were planning to run a positive piece that was up to them and it would be fine as long as it was positive.

"All of my contemporaneous emails at the time are now with lawyers for the Leveson Inquiry, and I am more than happy to give my side of the conversation with Ian Edmondson if required.

"You only need to look at the fact that the News of the World subsequently rolled over a few days later and not only published an apology in the following week's paper but also paid more than £120,000 to the Madeleine Fund by way of compensation. That speaks for itself."

Thanks Annabel......but I was looking for the actual NOTW report with the date .I think I posted it myself, but I can"t find it now.


"He led me to believe that they were looking to do a positive story on
an inside page based on leaks in the Portuguese press of quotes in an
alleged diary that had already appeared in Portugal in previous days.

"I told him that we were in no way encouraging any such coverage of a diary, or even confirming that any diary existed.

"However,
I said if they were planning to run a positive piece that was up to
them and it would be fine as long as it was positive."

There is no way Leveson can ignore this, of course the McCanns knew the Diary would be published and even accepted £120,000, how can Kate Feign
outrage.

There is a saying that there is no such thing as bad publicity, that any publicity is good. The publication of the diary could be seen as positive I would say, whether its quite what the McCanns expected or not, it was positive and it got alot of coverage of Madeleine into the papers again, at a time when things were perhaps going a bit quiet. How can Kate say she felt raped, when she then writes her own book in which her most innermost personal feelings are aired? Plus the compensation she pocketed, that was positive money too into Madeleine's fund. If this turns out to be a misunderstanding then its a misunderstanding that resulted in positive news for the McCanns in the papers and money into the bargain, so why should Kate look so wounded by it? It does not sound to me as though publication went ahead without some sort of authorisation from the family, it was not completely a bolt out of the blue because we all know what newspapers are like once you agree to give them an inch and why didn't the McCanns sue the Portuguese paper that originally published the diary?

Hi LJC

why didn't the McCanns sue the Portuguese paper that originally published the diary? "

Exactly!!! The McCanns have become such Celebrities that they have forgotten why!!! With all this money they are making did they dismiss Edgar who
has proved completely incompetent and employ bona fide Agents experienced in finding missing children ? No, they appeal to Cameron and he saves them spending any money by using SY. Poor little Madeleine she has become a cash cow for so many people .