The Motorman Files: How ITV News came to its conclusions
Our UK Bureau News Editor on how we worked out the amounts paid by newspapers for potentially illegal investigations
Church: Information held on me 'all encompassing'
Singer Charlotte Church told ITV News the information held on her by some newspapers was "all encompassing of everybody I'd ever known".
Breakdown of potentially illegal payments by papers
A detailed look at what each newspaper paid private investigator Steve Whittamore for data about celebrities, politicians and the public.
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Some of the methods used by Steve Whittamore and his associates to obtain information
- Ex-directory numbers: Getting phone numbers which are not included in the Phone Book
- Friends and family numbers: Getting BT Friends and Family chosen numbers (discounted calls to selected people)
- Criminal record checks: Criminal Records Checks carried out on the Police National Computer
- Vehicle registration: DVLA searches to get details from a number plate, such as the name and address of a driver
- Blags: Where information has been obtained from an organistation by deception
- Mobile Conversions: Getting personal details, such as a name and address, from a mobile number
- Landline Conversions: Getting personal details, such as a name and address, from a landline number
The Motorman Files: How ITV News came to its conclusions
by Ed Campbell
Our UK Bureau News Editor on how we worked out the amounts paid by newspapers for potentially illegal investigations
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What the newspapers paid for potentially illegal information
ITV News has calculated that the Daily Mail paid Steve Whittamore £143,159 for potentially illegal information and made 1,728 requests.
According to what we've seen in the books the next biggest spenders were the Daily Mirror who spent more than £92,000 on potentially illegal information and made 984 requests.
Close behind the Mirror is their stable-mate the People, spending more than £76 000, requesting 1,016 potentially illegal searches.
A full break-down of what each national newspaper paid Whittamore for data can be found here.
Church: Information held on me 'all encompassing'
Singer Charlotte Church told ITV News the information held on her by some newspapers was "all encompassing of everybody I'd ever known".
Read the full storyPayments to private investigator happening ‘on a massive scale’
Alec Owens, who led the investigation for the Information Commissioner's Office, told ITV News that payments to private investigator Steve Whittamore were happening on a “massive scale” but claimed only about 1% of victims have been informed.
Breakdown of potentially illegal payments by papers
A detailed look at what each newspaper paid private investigator Steve Whittamore for data about celebrities, politicians and the public.
Read the full storyAdvertisement
Charlotte Church: Information held on me ‘all encompassing’
Charlotte Church told ITV News the amount of information held on her by some national newspapers during her teens was "all encompassing of everybody I'd ever known". Watch more from the singer here.
Response to our investigation into Operation Motorman
A spokesperson for the Information Commissioner's Office said: "We have provided the Leveson Inquiry with extensive oral and written evidence relating to Operation Motorman. We now await the Inquiry’s outcome, and will respond appropriately to any relevant recommendations.
“While we had reason to believe that some of the material could only have been obtained via unlawful means, the press are able to claim a public interest defence. This could explain an apparent discrepancy in figures."
The full responses from Newspapers and the Information Commissioner's Office following our allegations can be found here.
Responses to our investigation into Operation Motorman
The full responses from Newspapers and the Information Commissioner's Office following our allegations
Read the full storyEXCLUSIVE: 'Illegal' newspaper payments revealed
An exclusive investigation by ITV News has discovered the true scale of payments by some newspapers for potentially illegal information.
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