Brooks: Claim Sara Payne was targeted is 'unthinkable'

Former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks has said the idea that Sara Payne's phone was targeted by the News of the World is "unthinkable".

Payne, whose eight-year-old daughter Sarah was murdered in 2000 by convicted paedophile Roy Whiting, confirmed yesterday (28 July) that the Metropolitan police's Operation Weeting had informed her that her details had been found among documents seized from private investigator Glenn Mulcaire.

Mulcaire, who was working for the News of the World at the time, was arrested in 2006, along with the tabloid's royal reporter Clive Goodman.

Allegations that Payne may have been targeted by Mulcaire first surfaced yesterday in the Guardian, which reported that her details were found separately to the 11,000-page trove of documents taken from the investigator when he was arrested.

If Payne was targeted, the revelation will be damning for Brooks, who worked closely with her on the News of the World's campaign for "Sarah's Law", which called for tighter restrictions on convicted paedophiles.

Brooks said in her statement that this allegation was "abhorrent and particularly upsetting as Sara Payne is a dear friend."

The details found among Mulcaire's documents may relate to a phone provided to Payne by Brooks, which News International is understood to have provided for the past 11 years. Brooks said that the phone was given for the purposes of the campaign, "not a personal gift".

"For the benefit of the campaign for Sarah's Law, the News of the World have provided Sara with a mobile telephone for the last 11 years. It was not a personal gift. The idea that anyone on the newspaper knew that Sara or the campaign team were targeted by Mr Mulcaire is unthinkable. The idea of her being targeted is beyond my comprehension."

The former News International chief executive, who resigned her post earlier this month, repeatedly referred to her pride in the campaign as the News of the World was beset by allegations of criminality.

She claims never to have heard of Mulcaire prior to his arrest in 2006, and denies ever sanctioning phone hacking while editor of the News of the World.

Payne remained a staunch supporter of the tabloid during the phone-hacking crisis, penning a piece for the final edition in which she said that staff there "became my very good and trusted friends".

Some of those staff, including former managing editor Stuart Kramer, attended the funerals of Payne's parents.

Phoenix Chief Advocates, a campaign charity established in the wake of Sarah Payne's death, which her mother helps run, said: "Whilst it was previously confirmed by Operation Weeting that Sara Payne's name was not on private investigator Glenn Mulcaire's list, it has now been confirmed by the Operation Weeting that Sara's details are on his list.

"Sara is absolutely devastated by this news, we're all deeply disappointed and are just working to get her through it."

A News International spokesman said: "News International takes this matter very seriously and is deeply concerned like everyone. As the facts are established, the company and the independent management and standards committee will take all appropriate actions, including cooperating fully with any potential criminal enquiries or civil proceedings which may arise."

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