Post date: Nov 21, 2011 1:55:22 PM
Actor Hugh Grant arrives to give evidence to the phone hacking inquiry at London's High Court. The first witnesses are the parents of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, whose voicemail phone hacking by the News Of The World newspaper gave them false hope she was alive.
LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 21, 2011) (REUTERS) - Actor Hugh Grant arrived at London's High Court on Monday (November 21) to give evidence at an inquiry into media standards, set up in the wake of the phone hacking scandals.
The first witnesses were Bob and Sally Dowler, parents of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler. The revelations that Milly's voicemail had been hacked by the News Of The World newspaper, leading her parents to falsely hope their missing daughter was still alive, sparked calls for the inquiry to be set up.
"I rang her phone and it clicked through onto her voicemail, so I heard her voice and it was just like..I jumped...'She's picked up her voicemails Bob, she's alive," Sally Dowler told the inquiry.
She also said she did not sleep for three nights after discovering her 13-year-old daughter's phone had been hacked.
They described the press intrusion into their private grief in the weeks that Milly was missing, citing an incident where a secret photograph was taken of them as they reconstructed the walk Milly took the day she disappeared. They concluded the only way the News Of The World would have known they would be taking that impromptu walk would have been by listening in to their private phone calls.
The News Of The World, which has since been shut down, has now settled out of court with the Dowler family. Bob Dowler said he hopes the parent company, Rupert Murdoch's News International will learn lessons.
"One would sincerely hope that News International and other media organisations would sincerely look very carefully about how they procure and obtain information about stories, because obviously the ramifications are far greater than just an obvious story in the press," he said.
Hugh Grant is due to tell the inquiry his story later on Monday. He is expected to talk about paparazzi hounding of the mother of his baby daughter.
Actress Sienna Miller, comedian Steve Coogan and writer J.K.Rowling are also due to testify at the inquiry this week.
Families of crime victims, journalists and lawyers are also among the long list of witnesses.
The inquiry, led by Lord Justice Leveson is in two parts, looking into the culture, practice and ethics of the British press.
This first part is expected to last several months. It is examining relations between the press politicians and police. The second part will look at conduct within News International and other media. Some evidence may have to be withheld whilst a Metropolitan police investigation is ongoing.