Murdoch Is Served (10)

With timing that might not be entirely coincidental, the Guardian’s Nick Davies has brought Phonehackgate back into view. And the numbers of voicemail accounts hacked looks to comfortably exceed the “handful” previously admitted: Davies’ numbers are pointing to around a hundred from Orange, O2 and Vodafone, with T-Mobile and 3 yet to come (the police, apparently, never asked these latter providers for the information in the first place).

Davies got his information from the phone companies themselves: the numbers used by former News of the World royal correspondent Clive Goodman (recently paid off, as I noted at the time) and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire were each found to have either called or hacked a number of voicemail accounts.

The gallery of those hacked includes the usual slebs and politicians: Jade Goody, George Michael, John Prescott and Kate Middleton. But, disturbingly, it also features “lottery rapist” Iorworth Hoare. And this is work being done in the name of a Murdoch tabloid, where there is frequent reference to the rights and sensitivities of the victims of crime. Whether Young Dave and Andy Coulson are still comfortable about this business is unclear. But one thing is certain: Nick Davies hasn’t done yet.

Expect more on this case in the coming weeks.