Neil Wallis: 'I had good relationships with people that enabled us both to benefit'
Neil Wallis, a former News of the World executive who became a PR advisor for the Metropolitan police, has told the Leveson inquiry he did not hold senior police officers "in an armlock" for favours.
Wallis said he saw nothing wrong with building relationships with senior police officers over a number of years.
"I was a very senior journalist. I had good relationships with people that enabled us both to benefit. Yes, I nurtured these contacts, which journalists tend to do."
He added that he "had relationships with judges, politicians and police officers", explaining that it was up to the other party to decide whether they returned his calls.
Wallis said that he had dinner on around six occasions a year with a number of senior figures, including former Metropolitan police commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson who resigned in July 2011 over his hiring of Wallis to a PR role.
The following day assistant commissioner of the Met John Yates resigned, someone Wallis considered a friend and with whom he attended football matches.
The resignations came a week after Wallis was arrested by Operation Weeting, the police investigation into allegations of phone hacking.
Wallis also said he had "a good working relationship for 15 years" with Dick Fedorcio, the Met's PR chief, who resigned last week, again over the hiring of Wallis.
It was Fedorcio who invited Wallis to apply for a contract to provide the Met with advice after he resigned from the News of the World in 2009.
In his written evidence to written evidence.
Asked if he ever bought champagne for police officers, he said: "I don't like champagne", adding that he had "not knowingly" done so.
Asked whether the Met leaked information, Wallis said: "I have no reason to believe that the Met was anymore leaky than the Home Office, Department for Justice or anywhere else."
He added that neither the Met or the government departments were "very leaky", saying "I wish they were leakier".
Free daily newsletter
If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).
