Police investigating allegations of phone hacking by newspaper journalists searched the offices of the Daily Star tabloid in London today.
The search followed the rearrest this morning of former News of the World royal correspondent Clive Goodman, who was jailed in January 2007 over the scandal. He had recently been working for the Star as a freelance.
Mr Goodman (53) and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire were jailed in January 2007 for hacking into royal voicemail messages, including some left by Prince William, now the Duke of Cambridge, while working for the News of the World.
The Daily Star Sunday said detectives spent two hours at its offices in central London and took away a disc containing a record of all Mr Goodman's computer activity.
The paper stressed that there was "no suggestion whatsoever" that the journalist acted improperly during his occasional freelance shifts at the tabloid. "Scotland Yard today sought the help of the Daily Star Sunday as they investigated allegations of police corruption involving the News of the World and its former royal editor Clive
Goodman.
"They confirmed they were similarly carrying out these routine checks at all places where Mr Goodman has worked as a freelance since he left the News of the World.
"Officers formally requested any and all computer material that Goodman had been involved with during his occasional shifts as a freelance reporter at the paper over the last year to cross-check it with his activities in his News of the World role.
"They were particularly interested to check Mr Goodman's current e-mail contacts to cross-match them with those from his time at the News of the World.
"There was no suggestion whatsoever that Mr Goodman had acted improperly during his occasional shifts at the Daily Star Sunday, and we can confirm that no payments of any kind were ever made by the newspaper to Clive Goodman contacts.
"After requesting the Daily Star Sunday's help, police were invited to visit the newspaper's offices where they were provided with a copy of all Mr Goodman's computer activity.
"The three officers were similarly invited to examine any desk where Mr Goodman may have sat during shifts. They left after approximately two hours with a disc of Mr Goodman's computer activity.
"For the record, the Daily Star Sunday has never carried, and has never been accused of carrying, any story that might have stemmed from phone hacking."
The Star is owned by businessman Richard Desmond and is not connected to News Corp, the owner of News of the World.