Piers Morgan questioned over phone hacking

14 February 2014

Former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan has been questioned by police over phone hacking, it has emerged.

Police confirmed a 48-year-old journalist was interviewed under caution on 6 December last year.

The CNN host, who has not been named by Scotland Yard, was questioned as part of an investigation into alleged hacking at Mirror Group Newspapers.

Mr Morgan, who has always denied any involvement in the practice, confirmed he had attended the interview.

He was interviewed as part of Operation Golding, the investigation into allegations of phone interception at Mirror Group Newspapers, which is a strand of the wider Operation Weeting.

In a statement, Mr Morgan said: "In early November I was asked to attend an interview by officers from Operation Weeting when I was next in the UK.

"This was further to a full witness statement I had already freely provided. I attended that interview as requested on 6 December 2013."

CNN said it was aware of the interview before it took place and had no further comment to make.

'Not arrested'

Scotland Yard said: "A 48-year-old man who is a journalist was interviewed under caution on 6 December 2013 by officers from Operation Golding in connection with suspected conspiracy to intercept telephone voicemails.

"He was interviewed by appointment at a south London police station. He was not arrested."

Mr Morgan's interview by detectives means that six journalists from the Mirror Group have been either arrested or interviewed under caution in relation to allegations of phone hacking.

Last March former Sunday Mirror editor Tina Weaver was arrested and questioned, as were former deputy editor Mark Thomas, People editor James Scott and People deputy editor Nick Buckley.

Ms Weaver's partner, former Daily Mirror editor Richard Wallace, was also interviewed under caution the day after the four arrests.

Fake

Mirror Group Newspapers said it had "nothing to say at all" on the questioning of Mr Morgan.

The former newspaper editor is now best known as a television talk show host in both the UK and the US.

He was editor of the Daily Mirror from 1995 until 2004, when he was sacked after the newspaper admitted that photographs it had published purportedly showing British soldiers abusing an Iraqi were fake.

Mr Morgan joined the Mirror from the News of the World, where he had been appointed editor in 1994 at the age of just 28.