Bomb dad’s phone hack anger
Reporter: Karen Doherty
Date published: 06 July 2011
THE father of Oldham’s July 7 terror attack victim David Foulkes has spoken of his anguish that his phone may have been hacked as he frantically tried to get news of his son.
Graham Foulkes, whose 22-year-old son died in the bombing at Edgware Road Tube station, has been told by police his address, ex-directory phone number and mobile number were found by police investigating phone hacking by a News of the World investigator.
The revelation comes as families prepare to mark the anniversary of the 2005 London bombings tomorrow.
David was on his way to meet a colleague when he was was killed. The former Hulme Grammar School for Boys and Oldham Sixth Form College student was working for the The Guardian.
Mr Foulkes, from Austerlands, told the Chronicle today: “In 2005 when the bombs had gone off and we did not know where David was. Janet and I were hugely distressed in a very difficult and dark place.
“To be really truthful I have very little memory of the events of that week.
“To think that this man and the News of the World may have been listening to the very personal and emotional phone calls that we were having with friends, some very frantic phone calls to try and find where David was, is just horrendous.”
The claims come after police confirmed that the parents of murdered Soham schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman had been contacted by officers on the News of the World hacking inquiry
This follows allegations that the phone of murder victim Milly Dowler was hacked.
Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator employed by the Sunday tabloid, is alleged to have accessed Milly’s voicemail messages after she went missing.
Mulcaire — who was jailed for plotting to hack into the phones of royal aides — is said to have deleted her messages so that more could be recorded, giving her distraught family false hope that she was still alive.
In a statement last night Mr Mulcaire said: “I want to apologise to anybody who was hurt or upset by what I have done. I’ve been to court. I’ve pleaded guilty. And I’ve gone to prison and been punished. I still face the possibility of further criminal prosecution.
“Working for the News of the World was never easy. There was relentless pressure. There was a constant demand for results. I knew what we did pushed the limits ethically. But, at the time, I didn’t understand that I had broken the law at all.”
The pressure intensified last night as sources confirmed several families of those killed in the July 7 2005 bombings were feared to have been affected.
Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News International which owns the News of the World, has pledged her full co–operation with the police inquiry into the claims dating to her time as the paper’s editor.
She said she was sickened by the allegations and promised the strongest possible action against those responsible.
There are growing demands for her to stand down and for a full–scale public inquiry into the conduct of the press and its regulation
The condemnation was led by Prime Minister David Cameron who described the allegations that Milly’s voicemail messages were hacked while police were still trying to find her as “appalling”.
Andy Coulson, until recently David Cameron’s director of communications, is also claimed to have authorised payments to the police when he was editor of the News of the World.
Mr Foulkes said the police had contacted him because they were aware that the allegations were going to be in the news today.
He told Radio 4: “I am beginning to understand the full depth of this. It seems that the police have known about this for some time.”
An emergency debate was due to be held by MPs today.
Car–maker Ford has pulled its advertising from the News of the World, owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Two other leading companies, Npower and the Halifax, confirmed they were also considering whether to continue advertising with the paper
Mr Foulkes told the Chronicle that Mr Murdoch should make a personal apology to each and every victim.
He added on Radio 4: “I would very much like to meet him face to face and have a very in-depth discussion with him about responsibility, the power he has and how it should be used appropriately.”
