Statement responding to release of information about companies who used private investigators

Commenting on the release by the Home Affairs Select Committee of a breakdown of companies and individuals who used private investigators who had broken the law, a Hacked Off spokesman said:

“Hacked Off is opposed to illegal information gathering in all forms, whoever is doing it. Any criminal conduct, by lawyers, insurance companies or anyone else, should be rigorously investigated by the police and, where appropriate, prosecuted using the full force of the law.

“But it should be made clear that this is not evidence of another phone-hacking scandal, as has been suggested by some in the newspaper industry, apparently seeking to divert attention away from widespread media malpractice.

“The list held by members of the Home Affairs Select Committee contains the names of clients of four private investigators who were convicted of obtaining personal information by deception, a practice known as blagging, not phone-hacking.

“We support calls for sentences for these crimes to be increased. Five years ago Parliament agreed that the current maximum sentence – of a fine – should  be increased to a two-year jail term, but partly because of newspaper pressure that law has not been brought into effect.

“We have always argued for the maximum possible sunlight to be shone on private eyes and what they do, as long as police investigations and prosecutions are not undermined, and we support the overdue proposals to regulate the private investigations industry.

“Even where the police or prosecution authorities decide against criminal charges, relevant regulatory authorities and employers should take tough action against those who have knowingly or recklessly commissioned, procured or received unlawfully obtained personal data.

“We note that it has been known for years that 14 of our national newspapers commissioned work from a private investigator who was found guilty of illegally accessing data and passing it to journalists. We call on all of those newspapers to declare this in their coverage of this issue.”