Operation Weeting

Operation Weeting is a new inquiry into phone hacking announced by the Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Tim Godwin on 26 January 2011. Unlike the previous inquiry run by the Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism Command the new investigation was run by the Specialist Crime Directorate and run by Sue Akers, the Head of Organized Crime and Criminal Networks.

On 9 February 2011, the Metropolitan Police said the operation had identified victims who had previously been told there was little or no evidence they had been targeted. Akers met John Prescott to inform him personally that he had been targeted in April 2006.

On 5 April, police arrested Ian Edmondson and Neville Thurlbeck of the News of the World.

News of the World reporter James Weatherup was arrested on 14 April. Some of his effects were sent to the papers lawyers before detectives could visit his office, which led Akers to hold a meeting with Will Lewis and Simon Greenberg of News International.

When Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson returned to work after an operation in April, he was lobbied by Kit Malthouse, the Deputy Mayor of London for Policing, to scale down the operation.

Stuart Kuttner, the long-serving managing editor of the News of the World, was arrested on 2 August 2011.

On 24 July 2012, the Crown Prosecution Service brought phone hacking charges against seven senior figures from the News of the World: Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson, Greg Miskiw, James Weatherup, Ian Edmondson, Stuart Kuttner and Neville Thurlbeck.