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James Weatherup – whose name had not been connected with the scandal – arrested as part of Scotland Yard investigation
The police investigation into phone hacking at the News of the World took a new turn with the arrest of a senior reporter and former news editor of the paper whose name had not previously been connected with the scandal.
James Weatherup, 55, is the third current or former NoW journalist – each of them a former news editor of the paper – to be arrested as part of Scotland Yard's latest investigation into alleged hacking at the paper.
Weatherup, news editor of the News of the World for about 18 months from 2004 and one of the inner circle of executives under the then editor, Andy Coulson – David Cameron's director of communications until earlier this year – was released on bail from Romford police station, Essex, at 5pm after a day of questioning. His home was searched.
After the news filtered back to News International that Weatherup had been arrested, the decision was taken to clear his desk, under the eyes of the newspaper's legal team.
Before police arrived at the NoW offices to undertake their own examination of his desk, the newspaper's executives had bagged up his property and taken it to their lawyers.
As the third news editor under Coulson, Weatherup would have taken part in private discussions of major news stories with senior colleagues.
After news editing for 18 months, he returned to a post as senior reporter. He is a close colleague of Ian Edmondson and Neville Thurlbeck, who were arrested last week on suspicion of conspiring to intercept mobile phone messages. Edmondson, the former assistant editor (news), was dismissed in January. Thurlbeck is the chief reporter.
News International had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.
The arrest came on the eve of a key case conference in which Mr Justice Voss will decide how 24 civil cases being brought against the News of the World by alleged hacking victims will be handled.
