Gordon Brown and family leave Downing Street
Credit: Chris Radburn/PANews International has denied allegations that it illegally accessed the medical records of Gordon Brown's then-four-month-old son Fraser, who suffers from cystic fibrosis.
Reports that a private investigator working for the Sun had illegally accessed Fraser's medical records were levelled against the newspaper yesterday by the Guardian.
The former prime minister has since accused the newspaper of having links to the "criminal underground" and committing "disgusting work".
But a statement issued by News International this afternoon refutes the allegations, claiming: "We are able to assure the Brown family that we did not access the medical records of their son, nor did we commission anyone to do so."
The statement goes on to say that the source for the story it ran on Fraser "originated from a member of the public whose family has also experienced cystic fibrosis".
"He came to the Sun with this information voluntarily because he wanted to highlight the cause of those afflicted by the disease. The individual has provided a written affidavit this afternoon to a lawyer confirming this.
"On receipt of the information, the Sun approached Brown and discussed with his colleagues how best to present it. Those colleagues provided quotes which were used in the published piece which indicated his consent to it.
"We believe that the article was written sensitively and appropriately. We are not aware of Mr Brown, nor any of his colleagues to whom we spoke, making any complaint about it at the time."
In a BBC interview today, Brown said that his wife Sarah had been contacted by then-Sun editor Rebekah Brooks shortly after the birth of Fraser in October 2006, to say the tabloid had obtained details from their son's medical records revealing that he was suffering from cystic fibrosis.
Brown said that he had wanted to set up a judicial inquiry into the possible illegal practices taking place at News International newspapers but that it had been blocked by senior officials.
The allegations against News International regarding the former prime minster involved three of News International's titles. Along with the Sun allegedly accessing medical records, the News of the World was alleged to have accessed his voicemail and the Sunday Times to have "blagged" information from his bank and accountant about his taxes and the cost of his London flat.
A further statement from News International issued late this afternoon admitted the allegations levelled against the Sunday Times, claiming that it "pursued this story in the public interest".
"We were told that Mr Brown had bought a flat cheaper than any normal valuation and that he obtained it through a company in which Geoffrey Robinson, a close ally, had been a director.
"We had reasonable grounds to investigate this matter and followed the PCC Code on using subterfuge. We believe no law was broken in the process of this investigation, and contrary to Mr Brown’s assertion, no criminal was used and the story was published giving all sides a fair hearing.
"We also note that Allen & Overy, the law firm, have denied they handed over any details about the purchase of the property and had nothing to do with it".
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