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28 March 2024

Ex-editor Brooks says she was horrified to learn of phone hacking

Published

Former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks says she never sanctioned phone hacking, and was horrified when she learned the tabloid had targeted the phone of a missing teenager.

Brooks answered "no" when asked by her lawyer whether she had ever approved eavesdropping on voicemails for a story.

She said Tuesday that as editor of the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid between 2000 and 2003 she didn't know phone hacking was illegal, but would have considered it a serious breach of privacy.

Brooks said she only discovered in 2011 that the paper had hacked the phone of 13-year-old Milly Dowler, who was abducted and murdered in 2002. She said her reaction was "shock, horror, everything."

Brooks and six others are accused of phone hacking and other wrongdoing. They deny all charges.