Leveson inquiry: Mobile firms took 5 years to tell users they’d been hacked

THREE of the UK’s largest mobile phone companies took at least five years to tell customers their voicemails had been hacked, the Leveson Inquiry has heard.

Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile established 156 people on their networks were hacking victims after News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman was arrested in August 2006.

But fears about prejudicing the police investigation meant Orange and T-Mobile did not notify those affected until last July – and Vodafone told victims only last month.

By contrast, O2 said it discovered about 40 customers could have had their voicemails intercepted and contacted them five years ago, at the time of an original Scotland Yard inquiry.

The press standards inquiry heard investigations established there were 40 hacking victims on the Vodafone network, 45 on Orange and 71 on T-Mobile.

Goodman was jailed along with private investigator Glenn Mulcaire in January 2007 after they admitted intercepting voicemail messages left on royal aides’ phones.

The mobile networks launched a major review of voicemail security after Goodman’s arrest, the inquiry heard.

Explaining why Vodafone did not notify those affected until this year, its head of security Mark Hughes said: “We were expressly told at the time of the investigation not to contact our customers as we could have prejudiced the police investigation.” He added: “With the benefit of hindsight, it would have been much better to have a level of clarity with the police much earlier so that we could tell our customers what the issue was.”

The inquiry heard 13 members of Vodafone staff have been disciplined or dismissed for disclosing personal customer data since 2009.

A total of 54 O2 employees have been disciplined or sacked over breaches of data security since 2003.

Four people working for Orange or T-Mobile have been dismissed and prosecuted in the past five years for data offences, but details of disciplinary proceedings were not available, the hearing was told.

The inquiry also heard from Tony Imossi, president of the Association of British Investigators, who agreed that the practice of “blagging” private information was widespread among private detectives.

Meanwhile, the editors of the Times and the Sun have been recalled to give further evidence to the Leveson Inquiry.

It is understood Times editor James Harding will be asked about alleged e-mail hacking at his paper when he returns on Tuesday. Sun editor Dominic Mohan has also been recalled to answer more questions.

The inquiry has been told a Times journalist hacked the e-mails of a police blogger who used the name NightJack. Labour MP Tom Watson said the Metropolitan Police was investigating.