Wednesday 20 July 2011

The Iraq Inquiry - MI6 had doubts about the "intelligence" from the outset

Andrew Gilligan blogged recently about an interesting release of documents from the Chilcot Inquiry, Iraq dossier: MI6 concerned about its claims 'from the outset'.

This newly released documentation seems to raise further doubts about the truthfulness of the evidence of Sir Richard Dearlove and John Scarlett to the Hutton Inquiry.

The death of Sean Hoare - "He would talk about someone from Government coming to get him"

Sean Hoare, it appears, was in fear for his life from some unspecified Government agency.

See Police say 'no-one else involved' in death of phone-hacking whistleblower who 'feared someone was out to get him'.

According to a neighbour, "He would talk about someone from the Government coming to get him".

Were those fears the unfounded paranoia of someone known to have had alcohol and drug problems?

Or could those fears have been well-founded?

Just because you're paranoid it doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

The Death of Sean Hoare - Article in the Independent

I have made no decision about whether, on an ongoing basis, to start blogging about the death of Sean Hoare the "whistleblower" about the alleged phone hacking by News of the World and possibly other News International staff.

However, I am struck by the similarities in this article in the Independent, Martin Hickman: Was Sean Hoare killed by the Murdoch empire? The short answer is no, to some of the early press coverage of the supposed "suicide" of David Kelly.

As Mr Hickman correctly points out in his article about the death of Sean Hoare, "we do not yet have all the facts".

Yet there are, in close parallel with the David Kelly "suicide", stories planted in the press that imply or hint that Sean Hoare committed suicide even before a postmortem examination was carried out.

It's almost as if the press and Hertfordshire Police are working together in a manner similar to how Thames Valley Police appear to have planted the "suicide" of David Kelly in the media at a time on 18th July 2003 when it wasn't possible legitimately to have done so.

Was Sean Hoare murdered?

It's too early to tell.

Will the full truth ever come out?

I'm not holding my breath.

Monday 18 July 2011

The Death of David Kelly - Could his phone have been hacked?

It's a question I hadn't asked myself until today: Could David Kelly's phone have been hacked?

Milly Dowler disappeared in March 2002 and her body was found in September 2002.

So the News International phone hacking activity appears to have been ongoing around the period of interest as it applies to David Kelly.

If David Kelly was, hypothetically, the person who tipped off Judith Miller that the supposed "mobile weapons labs" were bogus could someone at News International have hacked those messages?

Currently, I've no idea.

The Death of David Kelly - Another convenient "suicide"?

The BBC and other media outlets are reporting the death earlier today of a man in Watford, reportedly Sean Hoare, the former News International reporter who alleged that Andy Coulson knew of the phone hacking at the News of the World. See for example, NoW 'whistleblower' Sean Hoare is found dead.

The death is being reported as "unexplained" but with no suspicious circumstances.

We are being led, I suspect, towards a conclusion of "suicide".

It's remarkable that another convenient "suicide" happens eight years to the day after the discovery of the body of Dr. David Kelly after his supposed "suicide".

Perhaps it's merely one of those strange coincidences that life throws up.

Perhaps it's not.

With the seeming death of Sean Hoare one source of evidence relating to alleged criminality by Andy Coulson and, potentially, others is seemingly removed.

Could anyone be so ruthless as to remove Sean Hoare from the scene?

The Death of David Kelly - The future of Chief Constable Sara Thornton

On the surface, the future looks bright for Chief Constable Sara Thornton of Thames Valley Police.

The last time that the post of Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police was vacant it seems that Ms. Thornton threw her hat in the ring. See First female tipped to land Britain's biggest police job.

Following the resignation of Sir Paul Stephenson yesterday, Ms Thornton has been installed by one firm of bookmakers as favourite to succeed him. See Who might be next Met Police commissioner?.

One wonders, however, whether the Mayor of London will wish to consider as a candidate for Commisioner of the Metropolitan Police someone regarding whom there are serious questions about her integrity.

Regular readers of this blog will be aware that I hold the opinion that Thames Valley Police in 2010 and 2011 have been covering up the murder of Dr. David Kelly.

Chief Constable Thornton has, in my view, been directly involved in that cover-up.

In fact, it is my view that Chief Constable Thornton may have committed the offence of perverting the course of justice.

If you were in charge of appointing a new Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police would you appoint Sara Thornton with such unresolved issues hanging over her?

The Death of David Kelly - Eight years on and still the truth is concealed

Eight years ago today, a body was found at Harrowdown Hill, Oxfordshire.

The truth of what happened prior to the discovery of that body remains concealed.

The concealment of the truth has, in part, founded on the actions (and failures to act) by a number of figures including the following:


  • Lord Hutton - the Hutton Inquiry was visibly inadequate in establishing the truth.

  • Assistant Chief Constable Michael Page - who, so far as I can judge, lied to the Hutton Inquiry about at least two material issues.

  • Detective Constable Graham Coe - who concealed from the Hutton Inquiry the presence of the "third man" at Harrowdown Hill.

  • Chief Constable Sarah Thornton - whose force in 2010 and 2011 have continued to conceal and obfuscate the truth, including giving dishonest evidence to the Attorney General's examination of the relevant issues in the context of Section 13 of the Coroners Act 1988.

  • Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC MP - who gave a dishonest and irrational statement to the House of Commons on 9th June 2011



I remain optimistic that the truth will, in time, be established.

Like the phone hacking scandal, the murder of Dr. David Kelly casts unwanted light on the murky world where politics, illegality and the Police overlap.

It seems to me that the criminality in relation to the conspiracy to conceal the murder of Dr. David Kelly includes crimes far more serious than the misdeeds which led to the resignation yesterday of Sir Paul Stephenson.