Phone hacking: Murdoch may be recalled by MPs - BBC News

28 July 2011 Last updated at 22:52 ET

Tom Watson MP questions James Murdoch about whether he was aware of the "for Neville" email

A committee of MPs will be asked to recall News International chairman James Murdoch to give more evidence on phone hacking.

Labour MP Tom Watson said he would also call for ex-News of the World editor Colin Myler and the paper's ex-legal manager Tom Crone to answer questions.

Mr Murdoch told MPs he had not been "aware" of an email suggesting hacking went wider than a "rogue" NoW reporter.

Mr Myler and Mr Crone have both disputed this.

The News International chairman told the Commons culture, media and sport committee earlier this month that he was not aware of a key document - known as the "for Neville" email - when he approved an out-of-court settlement with Gordon Taylor, the Professional Footballers' Association chief executive.

But the two former NoW executives later released a statement saying they did inform him of the email.

Mr Murdoch later said he "stands by his testimony" to the committee.

Mr Watson told BBC Two's Newsnight programme he would make the recall requests to the committee on Friday "so that we can get to the bottom of this, find the facts and Parliament can then move on and let the police do their inquiry".

The committee is due to hold an internal meeting, which will be closed to the public, on Friday morning.

Regarding the emails, in April 2008, Mr Murdoch authorised the payment of an out-of-court settlement of more than £600,000 to Mr Taylor over the hacking of his phone.

Mr Murdoch has said that, at the time, he did not know the full extent of hacking that may have been going on at the NoW.

That paper's royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire were both jailed for hacking into phones of the royal household in 2007.

But the email in question was marked "for Neville" and is said to have implied the NoW's chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck was also implicated in malpractices.

The latest development comes after the mother of murder victim Sarah Payne learned she may have been a phone hacking victim.

Police told Sara Payne her details were in notes compiled by Mulcaire, who was used by the NoW, which championed her Sarah's Law child protection campaign.

According to a report in the Guardian, the evidence uncovered by police in Mulcaire's notes is believed to relate to a phone given to Ms Payne by the NoW's then-editor Rebekah Brooks "as a gift to help her stay in touch with her supporters".

The BBC has not been able to confirm whether the evidence relates to this particular mobile.

But Mrs Brooks, who left her role as NI chief executive because of the hacking scandal but denies having had any knowledge of the practice while at the paper, says the phone "was not a personal gift".

She said the allegations were "abhorrent and particularly upsetting as Sara Payne is a dear friend".

'Absolutely devastated'

A source close to Mrs Brooks says she believes the voicemail system on the phone provided by the NoW was not activated until 18 months ago.

In such circumstances, it would be difficult for prosecutors to prove that any voicemail interception took place.

In a statement, Ms Payne's charity, Phoenix Chief Advocates charity, said she was "absolutely devastated" by the claims.

News International said it would co-operate fully with any potential criminal inquiries or civil proceedings which may arise.

The Metropolitan Police's Operation Weeting is investigating claims of phone hacking at the paper, which was shut down earlier this month after it emerged that the phone of murder victim Milly Dowler had been hacked.