UK & World News
The latest UK & World news stories from the Press Association.
Mills rejects claims over voicemail
19:05, Feb 9 2012
The former wife of Sir Paul McCartney did not authorise former News of the World editor Piers Morgan, or anybody else, to listen to her voicemails, she told the inquiry into press standards.
Chat show host Morgan previously told the inquiry he listened to a voicemail message left to Heather Mills by Sir Paul, but refused to say when or where he heard it because he wanted to protect a "source".
Ms Mills said she had never authorised Morgan, or anybody, to access or listen to her voicemails, and neither had she ever played a recording to the former editor.
"I couldn't quite believe that he would even try to insinuate, a man that has written nothing but awful things about me for years, would relish in telling the court if I had played a voicemail message to him," she said.
Ms Mills told the inquiry that in early 2001 she and Sir Paul had argued about a trip she was planning to Gujurat, India, and while she stayed with a friend in Middlesex he left her a series of voicemails.
"In the morning, when I woke up, there were many messages, but they were all saved messages which I did not quite understand, because normally they wouldn't be but I didn't think too much of it," said Ms Mills. "I thought I must have pressed a wrong button."
Meanwhile, the News of the World's former head of news told the inquiry he was told to deliberately mislead the McCanns' spokesman about the newspaper's plans to publish Kate McCann's diary.
Ian Edmondson said former editor Colin Myler told him to have a "woolly" conversation with Clarence Mitchell about plans to publish Mrs McCann's diary so he did not know what the paper was planning. Mrs McCann said she felt "violated" when the private journal appeared in the newspaper on September 14 2008.
Mr Myler has said he would never have published it if he had realised she was not aware of the paper's plans, and claimed Mr Edmondson told him he had cleared the story with Mr Mitchell.
Thursday's session concluded the first module of the inquiry, which looked into the culture, practices and ethics of the press in general. The second module - looking at relations between the media and police - will begin on February 27.
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Bomber kills 90 at military drill 15:05, May 21 2012
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Mandelson denies deal with Murdoch 15:05, May 21 2012
Lord Mandelson has denied there was any deal between Labour and Rupert Murdoch's newspaper empire ahead of the 1997 general election. more
MacAskill defends Megrahi release 15:05, May 21 2012
Scotland's Justice Secretary has defended his decision to release the Lockerbie bomber almost three years ago as the only man convicted of the tragedy is buried in Libya today. more
Bomber kills 60 at military drill 14:05, May 21 2012
At least 60 soldiers were killed and dozens of others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a military parade drill in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. more
Olympic flame goes out during relay 13:05, May 21 2012
The Olympic torch went out for the first time during the London 2012 relay, organisers have confirmed. more
Missing children website relaunched 13:05, May 21 2012
An official website to help find missing and abducted children from the UK has been relaunched by the police's specialist child protection agency. more
Watchdog launches Hunt inquiry 13:05, May 21 2012
Westminster's sleaze watchdog has launched an inquiry into Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt following claims that he failed to register donations from media firms, it was revealed. more
38 soldiers killed in Yemen attack 12:05, May 21 2012
At least 38 soldiers were killed and dozens of others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a military parade drill in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. more
Miliband attacks social inequality 12:05, May 21 2012
Ed Miliband has accused the Government of taking backward steps on social mobility by allowing inequality to grow and denying bright youngsters from poor backgrounds the chance to succeed. more
The latest UK & World news stories from the Press Association.
