Earlier this morning, the parents of murder victim Milly Dowler followed by actor Hugh Grant testified before a panel looking into allegations of phone-hacking by newspapers owned by News International.
The Leveson panel is a seven-member group established by British Prime Minister David Cameron to report back on the phone-hacking allegations and press ethics. This is its first hearing and it has planned several more for this week.
In the first testimony of the hearing, the parents of Milly Dowler re-told the story of their missing daughter and their false hope in believing their daughter was still alive. They also shared how they felt when they first heard that Milly’s voicemail was hacked.
Then, Joan Smith, a former journalist of several British papers, discussed when her phone was hacked. She stated the hacking was a result of her relationship with M.P. Denis MacShane. She also recounts the story of meeting with Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who served jail time for phone hacking.
Lastly, actor Hugh Grant gave many examples of how the media has invaded his personal life, lots of references to his the movies and his legal battles with the media.