Whistleblower in phone hacking scandal found dead at his home

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates maintained he had acted with “complete integrity” as he quit yesterday following criticism of his handling of a review of the initial investigation into allegations of phone hacking at the News of the World.

His resignation was announced less than 24 hours after Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson stepped down over the affair, leaving Britain’s largest police force facing a leadership crisis a year before the Olympics.

The two police officers came under intense scrutiny after it emerged phone-hacking suspect Neil Wallis, a former deputy editor at the News of the World, had worked for the Metropolitan Police as a media adviser.

Opposition politicians have compared the arrangement to David Cameron’s decision to hire former News of the World editor Andy Coulson as his communications chief, but the Prime Minister yesterday rejected suggestions that his own position had been tainted.

The affair took another twist yesterday when a former News of the World reporter turned whistleblower, who was interviewed by police over phone-hacking allegations, was found dead at his home.

Sean Hoare, who claimed in a New York Times article that Mr Coulson had “encouraged” him to hack phones, had drink and drug problems. Police are not treating his death as suspicious.

Home Secretary Theresa May told MPs the search for a new Met Commissioner would be “expedited”, adding that Acting Deputy Commissioner Tim Godwin would perform Sir Paul’s role until a successor is found.

The deputy position will be filled temporarily by former Merseyside Chief Constable Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, a former South Yorkshire officer who in May sat on the disciplinary panel when North Yorkshire Chief Constable Grahame Maxwell admitted gross misconduct over nepotism allegations.

Mr Yates’s role as head of counter-terrorism has been given to Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick, who led the ill-fated operation that ended with the fatal shooting of Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes in 2005.

Mr Yates, Sir Paul and two other former Met officers, understood to be senior colleagues Andy Hayman and Peter Clarke, are to be investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission over their handling of the phone-hacking affair.

Among matters to be examined is an allegation Mr Yates “inappropriately” secured a Scotland Yard job for Mr Wallis’s daughter.

Mr Yates and Sir Paul are expected to give evidence to the Commons Home Affairs Committee today while News Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch, his son James and former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks are due before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.

Mr Cameron will not be in the country while they testify, but he will curtail a visit to Africa in time to make a statement about the crisis to the Commons tomorrow.

The Prime Minister dodged questions over whether he had considered resigning but gave his strongest remarks on the scandal so far, emphasising that issues of “potential police corruption” had to be addressed.

However, he suffered further embarrassment after it was disclosed there had been omissions in a list of his contacts published last week, including no mention of a meeting he had with Mrs Brooks.

Labour leader Ed Miliband said there was a “sharp contrast” between Sir Paul’s decision to resign and Mr Cameron’s repeated refusal to admit he made an “error of judgment” by employing Mr Coulson.

News Corporation yesterday established an independent body to lead its internal inquiry.