UK: Court told bisexual former Lib Dem MP’s phone hacked repeatedly

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a white background.

Ex-private investigator Glenn Mulcaire hacked bisexual former Liberal Democrat MP Mark Oaten’s phone 10 times, a jury has heard.

Mr Mulcaire intercepted Mr Oaten’s phone messages after the News of the World revealed he was in a same-sex relationship in January 2006, prosecutor Andrew Edis QC told the Old Bailey yesterday.

Mr Edis said: “Mark Oaten was a candidate for the leadership of the Lib Dem party, but at that time the newspaper detected a relationship between him and a young man, Ian Chadwick.

“Mr Oaten was married at the time – he may still be married today, I did not mean to imply anything by that – and the newspaper eventually got the story by paying Mr Chadwick £20,000.”

Mr Mulcaire “blagged” Mr Oaten’s phone details from Vodaphone and the politician’s voicemail was hacked 10 times, the court heard.

It was part of what the prosecution alleges was a conspiracy senior News of the World staff members were aware of against a range of public figures.

Mr Oaten stood down from Parliament at the 2010 general election.

The trial continues.

For legal reasons comments have been disabled on this story

Comments (0)

MyPinkNews members are invited to comment on articles to discuss the content we publish, or debate issues more generally. Please familiarise yourself with our community guidelines to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive space for all.

Loading Comments