Post date: Jul 19, 2011 7:43:3 PM
Rebekah Brooks, who last week resigned as head of News Corp's British newspaper operations, admits mistakes were made but says the company acted 'properly and quickly' since evidence of wrongdoing emerged.
LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 19, 2011) PARBUL -
News Corp's British newspaper operations acted 'properly and quickly' in dealing with the phone-hacking scandal at the News of the World, according to their boss Rebekah Brooks, giving evidence to British lawmakers on Tuesday (July 19).
She was giving her testimony to the House of Commons committee on Culture, Media and Sport.
"Of course there were mistakes made in the past but I think and I hope that you will agree since we saw the evidence at the end of December we've acted properly and quickly," she said.
Mrs Brooks was pressed on the use of private detectives by the News of the World.
"My use of private investigators while I was editor of the News of the World was purely legitimate and in pursuit in the main as you know for the addresses and whereabouts of convicted paedophiles through Sarah's law," she said.
Referring to her comments in 2003 that payments had been made to the police in the past, she said she was referring to a "wide-held belief" that payments had been made in the past, and not to a "widespread practice".
"I can say that I have never paid a policeman myself. I have never sanctioned or knowingly sanctioned a payment to a police officer," she said.
Referring to the News of the World's sister paper, The Sun, she said the newspaper was not embroiled in the scandal.
"The Sun is a very clean ship, a great newsroom and in particular the operation Motorman referred to the News of the World and the Sun wasn't part of it," she said.