Phone Hacking: Police 'Knew Milly Was Victim' - Sky News

4:52am UK, Friday October 14, 2011

Police who investigated the murder of Milly Dowler have been accused of knowing as long ago as 2002 that the schoolgirl's phone was hacked.

Milly was abducted and murdered by ex-bouncer Levi Bellfield

The Dowler family's lawyer, Mark Lewis, told Sky News the claim, reported in The Independent, raised serious questions about the conduct of Surrey Police.

Detectives involved with the case were reportedly informed nine years ago that the News Of The World (NOTW) had accessed the missing 13-year-old's voicemails.

But it is claimed the force did not investigate or take any action.

Allegations that the murdered teenager's phone messages were hacked did not emerge publicly until early July this year.

Around three weeks later it emerged that in 2002 Surrey Police had removed a detective from the probe into her disappearance after the officer passed on details of the case to a friend.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is currently investigating an allegation that a Surrey officer passed on information about the search for Milly to the News Of The World in 2002.

Mounting allegations about practices at the Sunday tabloid during the summer led to it being shut down after 168 years.

The Dowlers have secured compensation from NOTW owner News International

Mr Lewis told Sky News: "In 2011 the Metropolitan Police started looking at phone hacking, or started looking at phone hacking properly.

"But between 2002 and 2011, obviously there's a nine-year period and you've got to ask the question why Surrey Police, they knew of some what appears to be criminal activity, and don't appear to have done anything for it."

A spokeswoman for Surrey Police said: "In 2002, Surrey Police's priority was to find Milly and then to find out what had happened to her and to bring her killer to justice.

"Clearly there was a huge amount of professional interaction between Surrey Police and the media throughout that time.

"At this time, we must respect the primacy of the Metropolitan Police Service investigation into phone hacking to which we are providing all relevant information about the Milly Dowler case.

"To prevent prejudicing this inquiry, or any prosecutions which may result from it, we are unable to put all the facts into the public domain at this stage."

Surrey Police maintained that there was no evidence to suggest the detective constable had passed on information to a journalist - instead he had been talking to a retired police officer friend.