Les Hinton recalled in hacking inquiry

Former News International executive chairman Les Hinton is to give further evidence to a parliamentary committee investigating allegations of phone-hacking at the News of the World, it was announced today.

Mr Hinton, who lives in the USA, will be questioned by the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee via videolink on October 24.

He is expected to be asked about the period during which payments were made to News of the World royal correspondent Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, who were jailed in 2007 for eavesdropping on private voicemail messages.

On October 19, the committee will take evidence from Julian Pike of Farrer & Co, the solicitors who advised News International in case of Professional Footballers Association chief executive Gordon Taylor, as well as from solicitor Mark Lewis, who represents many of the News of the World's alleged victims.

Committee chair John Whittingdale said last month that he wanted to gather evidence from Mr Hinton and Farrer's before recalling James Murdoch - the European chief executive of News Corporation, which owns News International, the publishers of the defunct Sunday tabloid - for what is expected to be the final session in the long-running inquiry.

Mr Murdoch is expected to be asked about apparent discrepancies in evidence received by the committee about exactly when he was informed that the hacking problem may extend beyond a single rogue reporter.

Mr Hinton was a close lieutenant of News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch until he resigned as CEO of the company's Dow Jones operation in July.

PA