Tom Crone giving evidence in September 2011

Former News International legal manager Tom Crone giving evidence before the culture, media and sport select committee in September


Former News of the World legal manager Tom Crone has hit back at James Murdoch over Murdoch's claim that he 'misled' MPs while giving evidence on phone hacking.

Murdoch told the House of Commons culture, media and sport select committee this morning that Crone, along with former News of the World editor Colin Myler had misled the committee in claiming they had made him aware of the full implications of the so-called "for Neville" email, which showed that phone hacking went beyond the newspaper's royal correspondent Clive Goodman.

In a statement this afternoon, Crone reiterated that Murdoch had been informed of the full implications of the "damning email" and accused him of an attempt to "discredit" him and Myler.

"It is regrettable, but I can perfectly understand why James Murdoch felt the need to discredit Colin Myler and myself.

"The simple truth is that he was told by us in 2008 about the damning email and what it meant in terms of wider News of the World involvement.

"It seems he now accepts he was told of the email, of the fact that it contained transcripts of voicemail interceptions and that those interceptions were authorised by the News of the World.

"Perhaps Mr Murdoch could explain who he thought was doing the authorising at the News of the World?

"At best, his evidence on this matter was disingenuous."

Murdoch told Labour MP Tom Watson during his appearance this morning that Crone's and Myler's evidence to the committee "was misleading and I dispute it".

Crone denied both misleading the committee about the "for Neville" email and saying during an earlier appearance in 2009 that phone hacking was confined to a single rogue reporter.

"For the record, I did not 'mislead the committee' about the evidence being confined to a 'single rogue reporter'. If anyone cares to read the full answer I gave to Q1339 during the 2009 evidence to the CMS select committee, they will see that I clearly accepted the 'for Neville' email meant 'that the problem of accessing by our reporters, or complicity of accessing by our reporters, went beyond the Goodman/Mulcaire situation'."

In a letter to the committee earlier this week, Crone admitted that evidence he gave to the committee in September this year "was incorrect in relation to certain details".

After his testimony was challenged by evidence provided to the committee by Julian Pike, a partner at law firm Farrer & Co, Crone claimed the testimony "was at the time my best recollection of the relevant events" but acknowledged that it was incorrect.

"Having seen the evidence given by Julian Pike and the documents produced by him which now appear on your website, I accept that my recollection was incorrect in relation to certain details. I apologise for that."
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