[Omah]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...night-ago.html

Former chief executive of News International Rebekah Brooks tonight admitted the News of the World did use private detectives when she was editor of the newspaper.

And astonishingly, despite an ongoing investigation into the hacking scandal at News International, she claimed to have only found out that murdered Milly Dowler had her phone hacked a fortnight after reading it in the press.

Under the scrutiny of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, she tonight said that she had not been directly responsible for signing off the payments to private investigators, claiming their finances would have been handled by the managing editor’s office.

She also said she had never sanctioned a payment to a police officer and added that in her experience officers had always given evidence ‘free of charge’.

With bags under her eyes and speaking softly throughout, she claimed that, despite a lengthy stint editing the NotW, she had not known that jailed detective Glenn Mulcaire had been on the payroll of News International since the late 1990s, and added she had never heard of his name until his arrest in 2006.

As the phone hacking scandal was picked apart and analysed piece by piece, she claimed to have only learned that the voicemail of murdered Milly Dowler had been accessed a fortnight ago when the story was made public.

Mrs Brooks did however admit that she knew the identities of some private detectives and had hired them for ‘legitimate’ uses at the News of the World.

She told the select committee: ‘My use of private investigators while I was editor of News of the World was purely legitimate and in pursuit of the names of addresses and whereabouts of paedophiles convicted under Sarah’s Law. I was aware News of the World also used private investigators on other stories.’

Rebekah Brooks was accompanied by her lawyer when she gave evidence. The room had been cleared of the public after the earlier attack on Rupert Murdoch

Rebekah Brooks was accompanied by her lawyer when she gave evidence. The room had been cleared of the public after the earlier attack on Rupert Murdoch

When quizzed on a widely reported episode where Mrs Brooks was said to have hired private detective Steve Whittamore to ‘convert’ a phone number – find an address for its owner – she replied: ‘It was 11 years ago; I’ve answered this question many times,’ adding, ‘The mobile phone was a business number and the address was widely known.’

Mrs Brooks gave evidence to a virtually empty room, which was cleared of the public following the earlier 'foam pie' attack on her former boss Rupert Murdoch. Just seven journalists were allowed to remain in the room, along with the panel and Mrs Brooks.

When Milly Dowler was discussed Mrs Brooks repeatedly told the committee that she had no knowledge of the hacking of the dead schoolgirl's phone or the fact that messages had been deleted from her full mailbox to allow others to be left, leading to the Dowler’s believing their daughter might still be alive.

She described it as 'a very serious allegation and one that appals us all,' adding 'I first heard of it two weeks ago - I'm sorry, that's how it is.

'I don’t know anyone in their right mind who would authorise, sanction or approve accessing the voicemail of Milly Dowler.'

She added that she would 'take responsibility' if it was proven that a journalist on her watch was found to have accessed the murdered girl's voicemail.

She added: 'I really, really do want to understand what happened. Out of everything I've heard of this case I think that was the most shocking thing I've heard for a long time.'

Like Rupert and James Murdoch, Mrs Brooks began her evidence by offering her 'personal apology' for what had happened at the paper.

'Clearly, what happened at the News of the World and certainly (with) the allegations of voicemail intercepts of victims of crime is pretty horrific and abhorrent,' she said.

Following her arrest on Sunday by police investigating the phone-hacking allegations, she said she was appearing with her lawyer, although she stressed she intended to be as open as possible.

mmmmm ...... no more than expected .....

She did, however, look uncomfortable and much older than normal .....