The Crime Agents

Phone hacking: the police vs the press

Oct 8, 2025
Martin Brunt, a veteran Sky News crime correspondent, joins the discussion on the fractured relationship between police and the press due to the phone hacking scandal. He highlights the importance of effective communication in cases like Nicola Bulley's, emphasizing how better interactions could have mitigated media speculation. The conversation also touches on the fallout from the Leveson Inquiry and how it impacted newsgathering. Additionally, they delve into the repercussions of the Manchester synagogue attack on police procedures, underscoring the complexities faced by armed officers.
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INSIGHT

Phone Hacking Broke A Crucial Partnership

  • Phone hacking shattered a long-standing informal partnership between police and journalists.
  • That breakdown changed how the public receives information about crimes and investigations.
ANECDOTE

Leading The Post-Hacking Investigations

  • Neil Basu describes inheriting Operations Wheating, Tuleta and Elveden to investigate press corruption.
  • He says many individuals were convicted but corporate liability for News UK could not be proven.
INSIGHT

Limits Of Corporate Prosecution

  • Investigators convicted individuals but couldn't prove a 'controlling mind' at News UK for corporate charges.
  • That failure left questions about corporate accountability despite many prosecutions.
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