British police yesterday arrested Rupert Murdoch’s former lieutenant Rebekah Brooks, in a new blow for the media mogul.
Her arrest on corruption and hacking allegations, just two days after she quit as head of Mr Murdoch’s British newspaper wing, piled on the pressure as the Labour opposition called for the break-up of Mr Murdoch’s British empire.
But it also raised questions about why Scotland Yard, already under fire for its handling of the investigation, made her arrest when it did even though it could jeopardise her appearance before a parliamentary committee tomorrow.
“Rebekah had a prearranged appointment with police which she attended of her own volition. She was arrested on arrival by police,” her spokesman David Wilson said.
Mr Wilson added: “At the moment today’s events do somewhat change potentially her ability to attend the hearing. There will be discussions between her lawyers and the select committee over the next 24 to 36 hours.”
“The fact that she has been arrested clearly has implications and so it is by no means a certainty that she will be able to attend, despite wishing to,” he added.
He said the arrangement was made on Friday “at the police request”.
Scotland Yard would only confirm that a 43-year-old woman had been arrested “in connection with allegations of corruption and phone hacking” at the News of the World tabloid, which Ms Brooks once edited and which shut down last week.
It said in a statement that she “was arrested by appointment at a London police station by officers” and was in custody.
Ms Brooks, 43, is the 10th person and most senior Murdoch aide to be arrested so far over the scandal, which exploded earlier this month amid claims that under her watch the News of the World hacked the phone of a murdered girl.
The flame-haired Ms Brooks is due to appear alongside Mr Murdoch and his son James, the chairman of News International, before the British Parliament’s media committee tomorrow to answer questions about the growing scandal. At a previous hearing in 2003 she admitted the paper had made payments to police.
Committee chairman John Whittingdale was quoted by Sky News as saying that he now did not know if she would attend, as questioning Ms Brooks could in theory interfere with the police investigation.
A lawyer for Dowler’s family was quoted as saying the timing “stinks”.
Opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband called for his British media interests to be dismantled.
“I think he has too much power over British public life,” Mr Miliband told the Observer newspaper, citing his ownership of the The Sun, Times and The Sunday Times newspapers as well as a 39 per cent share in pay-TV giant BSkyB.
The Murdoch empire’s links to the police and politicians also came under fresh scrutiny yesterday.