'I do not fear the media' former ICO deputy tells Leveson

The former deputy information commissioner Francis Aldhouse has countered claims he told a former investigative officer for the Information Commissioner's Office not to "take on" the press in response to Operation Motorman findings, telling the Leveson inquiry "I don't fear the media".

Giving evidence to the committee on Wednesday and again today, Alexander Owens, who led Operation Motorman, the ICO's 2003 investigation into the use of private detectives by the press, said Aldhouse said in a meeting in the same year that the newspapers "were too big" to go after for prosecutions and that the process would be too expensive.

Aldhouse said today not only did he not recall this meeting, but that "the question about the press being too big to take on is simply not my view."

"It is certainly not the sort of language I would have used," he said. In light of previous experiences of dealing with the press he added he was "quite happy to stand up to the media and try to negotiate with them".

"I don't fear the media, but there are always other considerations," he added. He also said the issue of potential costs was also not a concern.

"The practice of the office would be, if faced with a very expensive investigation or prosecution, to approach the sponsoring department e.g. the Home Office or Ministry of Justice, to say 'we might be at risk of considerable expense, will you stand behind this with grant-in-aid if necessary?'"

He told the inquiry that Operation Motorman "was probably the largest investigation" for the ICO but did not recall any discussions regarding strategy for the operation's direction.

"I do recall that [former Information Commissioner] Richard Thomas decided he wanted to pursue the route of going to the Press Complaints Commission ... but I have to say I think that was Thomas' decision rather than the result of some discussion."

But he added that he did not believe that he knew Thomas "had completely ruled out prosecution".

When asked if he had not expected to be involved in these discussions Aldhouse responded that he was "otherwise engaged".

"It's for the Commissioner to decide how he runs the office. It is worth bearing in mind the Commissioner is a one-man-band and if he decides to take a route so be it."

When asked what his view would have been on the matter, had he been asked, Aldhouse said had he been shown the information as it was presented to the inquiry it "would have been we really ought to find a way of pursuing this".

"It is a major exercise, not at all sure something that could be handled by just two people. It's an exercise that requires some sensitive handling.

"... I'm not quite sure whether we could have put together the resource to handle such an investigation, not having been put in the position of taking a decision I can't say how I would have handled it.

"I do think there was a case for taking the involvement of journalists and newspapers further."

He also told the inquiry that the information which was shown to the Leveson inquiry this morning in relation to the Operation Motorman investigation and its findings was new to him and he had not previously seen it "set out in that way".

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