14 DAY TRIAL // The UK Metropolitan Police discovered a mobile phone which was supposedly used by News of The World (NOTW) journalists to illegally access more than 1000 numbers between 2004 and 2006.
According to The Independent, the phone, also known as 'the hub' was found on a desk that was formerly used by News of The World employees in a police action called Operation Weeting.
A former journalist from NOTW admitted the existence of the device, claiming that it was utilized by certain members of the newsdesk, giving them the opportunity to hack numbers that were involved in hot stories.
It turns out that reporters "would be told precisely where a person would be at a given time, so we could go and intercept, photograph and question them. That person would be surprised at how we had discovered their whereabouts. In retrospect the obvious explanation is that a voicemail was left somewhere in which the person had declared their intention to be at a specific location at a specific time."
The devices existence had been in many situations taken into discussion, especially during law enforcement interviews held in the investigations that concerned News International.
One of the victims was Tom Rowland, a journalist whose voice mail had been hacked 60 times with the hub in a period of two years.
"They [Weeting detectives] showed me a phone log taken from inside News International. They said it was the 'NOTW hub' and showed a pattern of calls made to my mobile phone," Rowland said.
It looks as the phone represented the heart of the NOTW newsroom, helping them make sure all the good stories landed in their yard. By breaking into voice mails they were able to find out the important stuff before anyone else.
Fortunately, they were discovered and the end of the investigation will hopefully result in a proper punishment for all those involved to set an example for other journalists who think of doing unlawful acts just to get a story.