Fairfax Media journalist Ricky Sutton’s role in Milly Dowler voicemails outlined at News of the World phone hacking trial
Fairfax Media’s head of video Ricky Sutton has been named at the News of the World trial in connection with the murder victim Milly Dowler’s hacked voicemails.
In evidence from the UK heard overnight, Sutton – a former news editor of News of the World – was said to have played a recording of the voicemails to Surrey police prior to publication of a story about the still missing teenager.
There was no suggestion in the evidence that Sutton, who is not on trial and has not been charged with any crime, was involved in the actual hacking of the voicemails.
Dowler was a 13-year-old girl who was abducted in 2002. It later emerged that while she was missing, somebody acting on behalf of the News of the World accessed her voicemails.
When the Guardian reported in July 2011 that the Sunday tabloid newspaper had accessed and deleted Dowler’s messages, giving her family false hope that she was alive, it triggered a wave of public anger. Rupert Murdoch announced the closure of the News Corp owned newspaper three days later. It later emerged that although the voicemails were accessed, they were probably not deliberately deleted by the newspaper after all.
The trial currently under way includes Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, both former editors of the newspaper, who are facing charges alleging conspiracy to listen to mobile voicemails.
In coverage of the trial this morning, The Guardian reports:
“A police officer who spoke to the Sunday tabloid’s managing editor, Stuart Kuttner, was told the paper had information the Surrey schoolgirl had received a call from a recruitment agency.
In a statement read to the court DS Kevin McEntee said… Kuttner told him they had Dowler’s mobile number and pin and the newspaper ‘had confirmed with school friends this was her number’.
“A journalist from the News of the World, Ricky Sutton, also played a recording of one of the voicemails to Surrey police, the jury heard.
“Mark Bryant-Heron, counsel for the prosecution said: ‘Ricky Sutton played Sarah McGregor a recording of intercepted voicemail over the phone to her.'”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Sutton worked at News of the World from 1997 to 2004. In the profile he says:
“Over eight years, I held several roles at Britain’s best-selling newspaper culminating in being News Editor with 70 reporters around the world.
“The News of the World was famous for breaking the big stories. It was read by half the British population and during my stint, it was named UK Newspaper of the Year.
“Among our scoops were Jeffrey Archer’s perjury which led to him being jailed, Gary Glitter’s paedophilia (and him being jailed too) and David Beckham’s multiple affairs.
“I was variously a war correspondent, an undercover reporter and was the only reporter ever invited to spend an entire week with Tony Blair and his family.”
Sutton, currently Fairfax Media’s head of video, new platforms and .tv, has been with the organisation for four years. He came to Australia in 2006, working for News Corp’s The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph.
The trial continues.
We will not be allowing comment on this story for legal reasons.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
Linkedin