Phone-hack cops nab six 'including Prime Ministerial horse lender'

Officers arrested five men and one woman this morning in a coordinated swoop relating to the Met's probe into alleged phone-hacking at Rupert Murdoch-owned News International. The six people, cuffed by Scotland Yard cops working on Operation Weeting, include a 43-year-old woman who was collared at her home address in …

[NukEvil]

Good..

I wonder just how much of your government the police will collar before this is all over?

Perhaps a revolution may not be necessary after all (for the UK).

Now, if the MET (or anyone, doesn't matter) could only arrest members of the US government for corruption, obstruction of justice, murder, etc., then we'd probably add an extra decade or so to the lifespan to Western Civilization as we know it...

Oh, and just in case...FIRST!

[dotdavid]

Re: Good..

Big fan of hyperbole are you?

[Ross 7]

Re: hyperbole

Is that like the Super Bowl with more adverts?

[fLaMePrOoF]

"Scotland Yard said this morning that its cops arrested all six individuals on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, contrary to the Criminal Law Act 1977."

If the police find evidence of such a conspiracy, then this just got a WHOLE load more serious than illegal intercepts - maximum sentence of life imprisonment...

[Oliver Mayes]

"If the police find evidence of such a conspiracy, then this just got a WHOLE load more serious than illegal intercepts - maximum sentence of life imprisonment..."

...or, a brown envelope changing hands in the local park followed by a dropping of charges, a pat on the head, and a complimentary lollipop for the inconvenience.

[John Bailey]

Not so easy any more. This has gone very public now. Any evidence kicked under the sofa or tipping off suspects is a strict nono. And I'm sure a few minor MPs will happily fall on their swords for the party.

All the politicians will be only too happy to see Murdoch's empire crumble, and too scared to rescue it. And the police and law enforcement will be too worried about being seen to be colluding with anybody to dare to cover up anything

[Anonymous Coward]

"brown envelope changing hands"

Does a job as columnist on the Sunday Times count, or does it just have the appearance of dodginess and no dodginess behind it?

Allegedly.

E.g. the one time anti-terror expert at ACPO Ltd and the Met (where he ran the 2nd investigation into Murdoch hacking allegations). The senior officer who after retirement from the Met on full pension took up a job at News International.

To serve and to protect.

But who are they serving and protecting? It becomes more obvious by the hour.

[peter 45]

Re: "brown envelope changing hands"

'serving' their own interests and 'protecting' their sources of income.?

Best quote yet was from Inspector Gadget who wrote

"At least we now know why those of us at the lower end of the scale have always been told to make ‘no comment’ at an incident until a senior officer arrives. Seems like they were protecting their second income!"

[Marvin O'Gravel Balloon Face]

Sorry but...

Everybody knew what they were up to at the time. It was an open secret that you could guess a voicemail pin, or many times use the default. You only had to read the gutter press to figure out that most of these stories were coming from underhand and probably illegal sources.

They were hand in glove. The Met, the Press, the Government.

And then one day that cosy relationship was blown apart when the press got a hold of a list of expenses from duck houses to moat cleaning, bathplugs to Tom Watson's mammoth food bill. Rupert wanted to buy his TV channel. Cameron hired Andy Coulson and everyone found out about Milly Dowler's phone hacking. Miliwonk milked the whole thing like he was United bloody Dairies with a freshly polished halo.

Now the love-in is seriously over, the politicians are pissed and the fuzz have to pretend like they'd never seen a brown paper envelope and start nicking people.

[Anonymous Coward]

High five!

Now, I just hope that there's a lot of slippery steps in that police station.

[Anonymous Coward]

As in the old joke

"How many policemen does it take to break an egg?"

[Marvin O'Gravel Balloon Face]

Re: As in the old joke

Old yoke, surely.

[Steve Renouf]

Re: As in the old joke

...and when they do, do they end up with an "eggspurt".

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: As in the old joke

You crack me up.

[Sir Cosmo Bonsor]

Old yolk, somewhat more surely.

[Burch]

Carol Decker

I was reminded earlier why I follow the T'Pau singer on twitter

carol decker ‏ @caroldecker

Oh shit I've been arrested AGAIN! #rebekabrooksisintheshit

[QuiteEvilGraham]

Am I the only one who raised an eyebrow at ...

"Sources alleged to The Telegraph that ex-NI chief and one-time News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks and her racehorse trainer husband Charlie Brooks are being questioned by police. This is yet to be confirmed."

And those sources might be who?

For sure, the NI gang and others in the same biz have poisoned public and political life for too long, but I don't pay their wages and expect them to work in the public interest. Those that I do, I expect to cop twice the shit, but I suspect that I should not hold my breath for that.

Or am I being too cynical?

[Z80]

Genuine question.

Forgive me for not being fully up-to-speed with the ins and outs of Horsegate, but when you say "Prime Ministerial horse lender" do you actually mean "Police horse borrower" Rebekah Brooks or did she go on to then become a lender of said horse to the PM? Or did they nab the person who originally lent the police horse, which would later gain some kind of association with the Prime Minister, to Rebekah Brooks?

[Marvin O'Gravel Balloon Face]

or did she go on to then become a lender of said horse to the PM?

He had a quick go.

[peter 45]

Becky's resignation statement.

"I want to reiterate how sorry I am for what we now know to have

taken place."

So not just the phone hacking but the deliberate destruction of evidence as well then?