Mulcaire names NOTW hacking chiefs

The private detective at the centre of the phone-hacking scandal, Glenn Mulcaire, has revealed the names of the staff at the News of the World who instructed him to carry out the hacking.

The information was passed in a letter to the comedian Steve Coogan's lawyers in accordance with a court order, Mulcaire's solicitor confirmed yesterday. Mulcaire had applied for permission to appeal against the order that Coogan made in February, but this was denied and he was compelled to release the details.

His solicitor Sarah Webb, from Payne Hicks Beach, said she could not reveal who the NOTW employees were because of "confidentiality issues".

Schillings, which is representing Coogan, has agreed not to reveal the names yet so that Payne Hicks Beach has a chance to apply for a court order stopping their release.

Mulcaire was ordered to reveal who instructed him to access Coogan's voicemails. Mulcaire was jailed for six months in 2007 for intercepting messages left on royal aides' phones.