NORTH ANTRIM DUP MP Ian Paisley jnr stepped into the media phone and computer hacking controversy last night by claiming he was in no doubt his mobile phone was hacked when he was a junior minister in the Northern Executive.
Mr Paisley stood down as a DUP junior minister in the Northern Executive in 2008 following criticism over his friendship with property developer Seymour Sweeney and allegations he had lobbied on his behalf. An official inquiry found he had not broken Assembly rules.
Mr Paisley said he has already raised his concerns with the London Metropolitan Police and has now called for the Leveson inquiry into the media – triggered by the controversy over hacking by Rupert Murdoch’s News International – to convene and take evidence in Northern Ireland.
“I am utterly convinced I was hacked because of things that appeared that only could have appeared through voicemail,” he told The Irish Times last night.
“I was so convinced that I wrote to the London Metropolitan Police. I know they have conducted some preliminary investigations but so far have not found anything,” he said. “I have no doubt that the hackers followed systematically phone calls, phone call messages and used that as part of their intelligence-gathering operations to write their stories.” He would give no details on any media organisations he suspected. “I look forward to the Leveson inquiry coming to Northern Ireland and examining these issues,” he said.
His remarks were made on a day when the hacking issue crossed the Irish Sea. This was as a result of a Guardian newspaper report that the London Metropolitan Police told former Labour northern secretary Peter Hain that it is investigating evidence his computer may have been hacked by private detectives working for News International. The report stated the police are also investigating evidence that computers of senior Northern Ireland Office (NIO) civil servants and British intelligence agents were hacked.
Mr Hain was northern secretary between 2005 and 2007 at a pivotal moment in the lead-up to the decision by DUP leader Rev Ian Paisley to share power with Sinn Féin, and also when the IRA put all its arms beyond use. He would have had access to highly confidential information, including details of MI5 and PSNI informants.
There was no official comment from News International, although one source said the organisation was not being investigated for the hacking of Mr Hain’s “personal or governmental” computer.
In London, Northern Secretary Owen Paterson played down any suggestion of a serious security breach. “We are confident that the NIO were not involved in this and that no confidential information could have been divulged. But the police inquiry will establish exactly what happened,” Mr Paterson told the BBC in Westminster.
An NIO spokeswoman added, “This is an ongoing investigation by the Metropolitan Police and it would not be appropriate to comment. The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that no NIO departmental assets or systems are involved in their investigations.” The London Metropolitan Police said it was not going to provide a “running commentary” on the overall inquiry. A spokesman for Peter Hain would say only: “These are matters of national security and are subject to a police investigation so it would be inappropriate to comment.”
