Phone hacking scandal deepens

[Jan Klimkowski]

Here's the text of the referral to the Independent Police Complaints Commission:

IPCC receives referrals from the Metropolitan Police Authority regarding the actions of current and former senior Met Officers

18 July 2011

IPCC Commissioner Deborah Glass has today announced a number of referrals received from the Metropolitan Police Authority. She said: "We have today received referrals from the Metropolitan Police Authority about the conduct of four current or former senior Metropolitan Police officers.

"The matters referred involve:

The conduct of the Met Commissioner in carrying overall responsibility for the investigation into phone hacking;

The conduct of Assistant Commissioner John Yates:

- in his review in July 2009 and overall role in relation to the phone hacking investigation; and

- in his alleged involvement in inappropriately securing employment for the daughter of a friend;

"The conduct of two former senior officers in their role in the phone hacking investigation.

"The role of the Met Police in its original investigation into phone hacking has rightly come under huge public scrutiny. These matters are already the subject of a judge-led public inquiry announced on 13 July which is looking into the way in which police investigated allegations of conduct by persons connected to News International.

"I now need to assess these referrals carefully to determine what should be investigated at this stage, bearing in mind the judicial inquiry, and I will seek to liaise with Lord Justice Leveson as soon as possible. I will publish our terms of reference once I have carefully reviewed the material referred to us.

"To the extent that these referrals raise serious allegations about senior Met officers it is right that they be independently investigated and I will ensure that our investigation follows the evidence without fear or favour.

"It must also be right that people do not rush to judgement until that work is done."

The Daily Mail states that the four senior officers referred are:

Sir Paul Stephenson

John Yates

Peter Clarke

Andy Hayman

John Yates 'secured employment for Neil Wallis's daughter' as IPCC instigates investigation into four senior officers

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 6:59 PM on 18th July 2011

John Yates allegedly secured work at Scotland Yard for the daughter of former News of the World deputy editor Neil Wallis a source claimed this evening.

On the day Yates resigned as assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, he was also referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission over his alleged involved in helping a friend's daughter get a job.

It understood that this woman is Wallis's daughter but neither the Met or IPCC would confirm this.

The revelations come hours after the IPCC said it was launching an investigation into four former and serving senior Metropolitan Police officers over their handling of the phone hacking scandal.

Five issues have been referred to the IPCC, including questions about the conduct of both Yates and Sir Paul Stephenson, who resigned last night

The IPCC has been asked to look into Sir Paul's actions as the officer with overall responsibility for Scotland Yard's investigation into phone hacking at the News of the World.

As well as the revelation he employed Wallis's daughter, the inquiry will also considering Yates's decision in 2009 that there was no need to re-open the hacking inquiry.

The IPCC refused to give any more details about the details of the referral.
The Metropolitan Police Authority has also asked the watchdog to examine the conduct of two former senior Met officers involved in the original phone-hacking investigation.

It is understood they are ex-assistant commissioner Andy Hayman, who was in ultimate charge of the 2006 inquiry and later become a columnist with News International title The Times, and ex-deputy assistant commissioner Peter Clarke, who oversaw the investigation.