Lawyer says victims of phone hacking could sue

LONDON — The publisher of a British tabloid owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch denied on Friday a report that it had accessed the voice mail of celebrities and politicians and tried to suppress evidence of the hacking.

The Guardian newspaper has accused the News of the World of paying private investigators to obtain voice mail messages, bank statements and other information about public figures, including Gwyneth Paltrow, George Michael and senior British politicians.

The News of the World’s royal editor, Clive Goodman, was jailed in January 2007 for hacking into the phones of palace officials, and The Guardian claimed in its Thursday report that the practice was widespread at the newspaper at the time.

Police said the allegations were thoroughly examined during the Goodman case and they will not reopen an investigation.

“It goes without saying that had the police uncovered such evidence, charges would have been brought against other News of the World personnel,” News International said in a statement release Friday evening. “Not only have there been no such charges, but the police have not considered it necessary to arrest or question any other member of News of the World staff.”

Publicist Max Clifford, who The Guardian reported was a target, told The Associated Press on Friday he would consult a lawyer to decide whether to take action.

“I’m meeting with lawyers early next week and will then decide,” he said.

Anyone who was monitored could either ask the police to prosecute, or sue for invasion of privacy, said Nigel Tait, an attorney at Carter-Ruck, a London law firm specializing in entertainment and media law. He said damages would be around a few thousand pounds unless victims were subject to sustained periods of eavesdropping, but it might help them find out which conversations were overheard.

“A lot of this is to do with peace of mind,” he said.

The News International statement released Friday said the Goodman cases were the only incidents of phone hacking.

The Guardian claimed the practice was widespread at the newspaper at the time and that Goodman is not the only journalist to have done it. Citing anonymous senior police sources, The Guardian said journalists at the tabloid used private investigators to hack into private voicemail messages, using the information to “gain unlawful access to confidential personal data, including tax records, social security files, bank statements and itemized phone bills.”

The Guardian wrote that the News of the World had paid more than 1 million pounds ($1.6 million) in secret out-of-court settlements to three of the targets.

The director of public prosecutions and the Press Complaints Commission both have both said they will look into the matter.

The Culture, Media and Sports Select Committee, made up of lawmakers from all parties, also said it will investigate the matter and may hold its first meeting next week. Its chairman John Whittingdale said the committee may quiz senior News International executives about the hacking.