Murdoch papers reportedly targeted Gordon Brown
British newspapers owned by News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch attempted to hack the voicemail and acquire bank information of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown as well as get medical information about his family, the Guardian newspaper of London reported Monday without citing the sources of its information.
The Guardian wasn't alone in reporting the latest allegations coming to light from the phone hacking scandal involving Murdoch's News of the World, which folded Sunday. Other media outlets also reported on the alleged attempts to access Brown's information. None of the outlets cited sources, according to The Associated Press.
The news about the immediate past predecessor to Prime Minister David Cameron comes as British media reported that as many as 10 members of the royal family were among the thousands whose phones were targeted for hacking, including Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
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The Prince of Wales and Brown joined others on the list of possible hacking targets obtained by authorities from a private investigator hired by News of the World. Other reported targets include:
- British victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks
- Family members of victims of the "7/7" bombings on London's transit system
- Family members of British troops killed overseas
- Milly Dowler, a13-year-old missing British girl who was later found dead
- Actor Hugh Grant
- A lawyer representing the family of Princess Diana's lover at the inquest into her death
Click here for the Guardian's extensive list of possible victims
In addition to the News of the World targeting the phones of Brown and his wife Sarah Brown, the Guardian reported that another Murdoch tabloid, The Sun, obtained medical records in 2006 for the couple's 4-month-old son, who has cystic fibrosis. (At that time, The Sun was run by Rebekah Brooks, who was editor of News of the World when the tabloid allegedly hacked into Dowler's mobile phone and who has been backed by Murdoch throughout the hacking scandal.)
A British bank was found to have given Brown's bank information over the phone to a man it thought was Brown but was actually a man working for The Sunday Times, the Guardian reported. The Sunday Times also hired a con man to obtain Brown's legal file from a London law firm. The Sun, The Sunday Times and The Times are all publications run by News International, a News Corp. subsidiary.
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A News International spokeswoman told the AP that the company has asked news outlets for information to investigate the claims made about targeting Brown and his family.
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