Murdoch blames own executives for cover-up

He blamed “one or two” senior figures at the now-defunct Sunday tabloid for “taking charge” of hiding evidence of wrongdoing and for misleading him.

But former NotW legal manager Tom Crone accused Mr Murdoch of a “shameful lie” after the tycoon suggested yesterday “a clever lawyer” was behind the cover-up.

Finishing his evidence to the Leveson Inquiry into Press standards, Mr Murdoch said the scandal would be “a blot on my reputation for the rest of my life”.

He admitted he failed to keep a close enough eye on what was happening at the NotW, which was closed last July after disclosures it illegally intercepted murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler’s voicemails.

Mr Murdoch, 81, claimed he was “misinformed” about the scale of hacking after royal editor Clive Goodman was jailed in January 2007 for spying on royal aides.

“I blame one or two people for that, who perhaps I shouldn’t name because for all I know they may be arrested yet. But there is no question in my mind that maybe even the editor, but certainly behind that, someone took charge of a cover-up which we were victim to and I regret.”

He suggested this attempt to hide the extent of the criminality emanated “from within the News of the World”.

Mr Crone said in a statement that Mr Murdoch “could only” be referring to him. The lawyer added: “His assertion that I ‘took charge of a cover-up’ in relation to phone-hacking is a shameful lie.”