back to article Coulson arrested

The former official spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron – and the former editor of the the News of the World – has been arrested. However, Andy Coulson has not been named by the Metropolitan Police statement, which refers to a "43-year-old man arrested on charges of suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications …

COMMENTS

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  1. Lockwood

    Do you have an appointment?

    I always find it funny when you have the news stories about people having an appointment at the Police station, whereupon they get arrested.

    Whilst it is nothing like as dramatic as "Metropolitan Police storm Coulson's house, Coulson arrested after Taser discharge", it certainly feels a lot more British!

    The only thing missing to make it the ultimate British experience is if it were a mass arrest, and you had five suspects all in the waiting room in an orderly queue waiting for their turn to be arrested.

    1. BenR
      Joke

      Simpsons

      Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where they get Homer to pay for all his parking fines by convincing him he's won a boat in the police raffle...

      1. L.B
        Facepalm

        And the Simpsons was bassed on fact.

        In the states a few years back they ran a few fake prize events. All the "winners" were bail jumpers and other wanted crooks, the letters all sent to the last known addresses just stated they had to be at a certain place at a specified date/time and had to bring proof of identity to collect thier new TV, VCR, Cash...

        Hundreds dutifully turned up to claim prizes and were arrested.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Paris Hilton

        Yeah but

        Simpsons aint real.

    2. Mark 65

      Quaint

      "The only thing missing to make it the ultimate British experience is if it were a mass arrest, and you had five suspects all in the waiting room in an orderly queue waiting for their turn to be arrested."

      All drinking tea, very civilised.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Joke

        Are you sure?

        "All drinking tea, very civilised."

        This would involve much kettling & teabagging.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Quite

      'The only thing missing to make it the ultimate British experience is if it were a mass arrest, and you had five suspects all in the waiting room in an orderly queue waiting for their turn to be arrested.'

      Alternatively the suspect tragically stumbles on to a policeman's boots and is then shot trying to escape down a long flight of stairs.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Money talks.

      The rest of us still get the police knocking on the door. You only get arrested by appointment if you're mates with the PM.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Yeah,

        and the only reason he's being arrested at all is because of the huge public outcry, Camaron needs to drop him like a burning turd.

        I suspect if his name wasnt so public, the whole thing would have been quietly dropped, like whoever was responsible for the entire the entire Phorm thing.

      2. JamesC
        Thumb Down

        noooooo

        not true :) each and every time i've been arrested it has been by appointment. i'm not a friend of anybody!

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Facepalm

      Oh no, officer... I'm busy that day

      "Sorry, absolutely chocca that day old man.

      Can I get back to you with another date?

      Bye for now."

      Quick, grab the turbo shredder, the cops are on to us....!

  2. Paul Johnston
    Thumb Up

    And next?

    A 43 year old woman is also arrested?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      But what we're really waiting for

      is 'thousand year old desiccated newspaper magnate exorcised.'

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Pirate

        May I suggest a new hobby for them..

        ...may I suggest yatching with heavy drinking far out at sea. That's how the other bastard of fleet street disappeared.

        Maybe some friendly pirates could give them a hand on the plank.

      2. John Smith 19 Gold badge
        Joke

        @Mike Richards

        Silence dog.

        He is a cyber warrior god. A maker of earthquakes and an eater of souls.

        (Well how would you explain his cockroach like powers of survival?)

    2. Seventh of 7th

      Prime number.

      What makes you think she doesn't lie about her age as well?

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    Waiting for the #iantisec outrage

    After all, isn't this just another case of hacking and then releasing the information ?

  4. LawLessLessLaw
    Boffin

    P.A.C.E.

    Be on the Lulzboat, 6am, knock & raid.

    Bribe police officers, interfere with murder enquiries and terrorist investigations, turn up at the station at your leisure.

    1. MarkieMark1
      Holmes

      Be Fair

      Andy Coulson - Age 43, wife, 2 children, lives in South London, Tottenham Hotspur supporter, has his own wikipedia page :-)

      Ryan Cleary - Age 19, background of mental instability, no wikipedia page of his own :-D

  5. Bumpy Cat
    Holmes

    Still to be arrested:

    Rebecca Wade

    Sir Paul Stephenson

    Dick Frederico

    I wonder if I could try a citizen's arrest ...

    1. Naughtyhorse

      you missed one

      mini murdock

      now that would be a story i'd pay to read

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Headmaster

      Pedantic grammar nazi alert

      I expect Rebekah Wade is relieved.

      Pity poor old Rebecca Wade though.

      1. Bumpy Cat
        Thumb Up

        I thought I got it wrong ...

        But then I thought "Rebekah is a pretty stupid way of spelling it, it must be Rebecca!".

  6. ColonelClaw
    Devil

    In an ideal world

    Here's hoping he ends up as some 20 stone thug's prison bitch

    1. Helena Handcart
      Gimp

      Prison bitch

      "Here's hoping he ends up as some 20 stone thug's prison bitch..."

      ...who secretly records every prolapse-induced scream and sells it to the Sun.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Stop

      Innocent until proven guilty

      Just like other hackers.

    3. Jemma
      Trollface

      ...gives a whole new meaning to...

      ...Gorillas in the Mist....

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Sigh...

      @Helena Handcart

      @ColonelClaw

      Please try to grow up a bit.

    5. mr-tom
      Coffee/keyboard

      Thug's bitch

      New keyboard, please.

  7. The BigYin

    He'll get a few years...

    ...and released early. Then probably re-appear in a new role after a short time.

    Assuming a case can even be built (I don't mean legally, I mean politically). We have a very poor record of pursuing the well-connected.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Gimp

      Ourt only hope.

      Is that this time lots of MP's who are still waiting to see if they go to jail over expences thefts, all brought to light by news papers are happy to see this lot do time first.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Let the punishment fit the crime

    Post all of Brooks' and Coulson's private communication via any medium, to anyone,

    and see how they like it...

    Where are.. Anonymous, Wikileaks and Lulzsec when you need them?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      emails...

      Radio 4 reported that the police are investigating the possible deletion of millions of News International emails so I wont hold my breath.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Pirate

        It was us wot won^Wdid it

        What, you mean like some anonymous person might have compromised the log in account of a certain James or a certain Rupert then used said account to delete a few emails over in India?

        Hopefully, they took copies before deleting them, just in case.

  9. JP19

    I'd be a lot more excited about this story if...

    the government didn't all ready want to keep records of all my communications and couldn't already 'hack' them on a whim.

    If you had to choose would you rather have NotW rummaging in your inbox or the government?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      Thanks for clearing that up

      Silly me, I didn't realise this was an either/or situation between the press and the government, that we only get to chose _one_ entity that doesn't hack into private accounts.

      Fuck wit.

  10. Rentaguru

    and a weekend in the cells

    unless he's charged today since at present old bill only has 96 hours to charge or release

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Amazing

    Well call me Susan and butter me three ways till Sunday!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Up

      Sun on Sunday

      I can think of worse ways to get on page 3, just not many.

  12. Jacqui
    Devil

    Odd how certain journo's

    knew an arrest was planned yesterday from "sources" in the met.

    First how much did these sources cost - and secondly why are the journo's and sources not being chased as publishing notice of an arrest before the event should be illegal.

    The Met really has a reputation problem - killing random people, arresting people for being too tall, cooking dogs and now being caught taking massive wads of wonga for feeding info to the press.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Coat

      Some of that is important

      By Cooking dogs it helps them integrate with the Korean community in London.

      1. Bumpy Cat
        Happy

        바보 외국인!

        It's really only the Korean equivalent of countryside hicks who still eat dog ... (and North Koreans, but they also eat grass, to avoid starving).

        (Not Korean, but married to one)

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Paris Hilton

          Redshirts too

          Popular amongst the Thai "Redshirts" as well. Hillbillys at best.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re:Odd how certain journo's

      Well obviously the journo's had found out by tapping his phone......

      you don't think NOTW were the only one's doing it, do you?

  13. Version 1.0 Silver badge
    Thumb Down

    Newspapers vs Bankers

    Of course, if the NotW were a Bank the police would still be "investigating" and the Government would be offering to lend them money while they weather "temporary difficulties"

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    Blame the networks

    Blame the networks for having a default PIN number on the mailbox and not suggesting people change it? I'm assuming this "hack" is to ring the Voice Mail number (ie 07973100123 on Orange), key in a mobile number and key in the default PIN and then you have access? Weren't some MP's greeting messages defaced using this years ago?

    1. 21st Century Peon
      Holmes

      I think they spoofed the phone number

      ...so that the voicemail system thought it was the victim's own phone calling.

    2. Richard Taylor 2
      Facepalm

      Not quite as simple

      Up to (to least last week) caller id spoofing would get you into at least one mobile providers vmail. You just need to know the number you wish to listen to and the carrier. I assume that if you are careful and do not listen to the whole message then it will not be recorded as 'old'

  15. Ants Mc

    Perjury too?

    Since if he is found guilty of this, it means he lied under oath at the Sheridan trial.

  16. pootle
    Alien

    Ms Wade's address....

    Friends, colleagues and canon fodder.

    Well that's the first (and only important) line

    1. Jemma
      Alert

      Canon fodder...?

      ummm... I think you mean cannon fodder.

      I very much doubt that anyone @ NoTW has been fraudulently modifying the history of the Great Sith War on Wookiepedia, an action likely to cause a 'crouching geek, hidden sociopath' reaction that the phrase 'canon fodder' implies...

      Although, since most of their stuff is fantasist crap, I suppose I shouldnt be surprised if they were..

    2. John Smith 19 Gold badge
      Happy

      @pootle

      Although NI disabled FB and Twitter access to their journos desks (and blocked their key cards from accessing the floor where the fragrant Ms Wade's office suite is located) *before* she addressed the scum (or her loyal staff as she likes to refer to them in public) it seems her last speech was recorded for posterity.

      By several journos present.

      A copy somehow managed to find its way to at least one of the nightly news programmes in the UK.

      I suspect Fox will not be covering this in depth.

  17. RW
    Childcatcher

    Prolapsus ani

    From what I've seen in certain porn flicks, name and nature not divulged here as El Reg is a family news outlet and Le Modérateur Divine might exercise his guillotine powers , gentlemen who after great effort have attained this anatomical anomaly (aka "a rosebud") rather enjoy their acquisition. And are happy to protrude it for the admiration of like-minded compatriots.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Big Brother

    Arrested by Appointment

    The legality of arrest by appointment seems questionable at best.

    http://tinyurl.com/62bfqxl

    On the wider question of phone hacking, I can't claim to be as shocked as Prescott, Tom Watson, Milliband et al. seem to want us all to be.

    Nobody expects the gutter press to behave honourably, the clue is in the pejorative.

    On the other hand, the faux outrage and hidden glee in the politicians who've been "found out" over the years (and now sense blood) is not exactly honouring to the memory of fallen soldiers or Milly Dowler. And that's putting it kindly.

    I've never bought a copy of the NoTW, but allowed myself a quiet smile when I've seen it in the shop, with some red-faced politician on the front page. Shame they had to arse it up so very badly.

    Hopefully a the principle of a free press will not be the latest casualty of this unedifying episode.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sing baby sing

    Hopefully he'll feel the need to sing like a canary, since he does seem to have been hung out to dry. To justify the damage that this has done to a very large number of people, there has to be a decent payoff that offers some lasting benefits to media standards, accountability and democracy. A severe clipping of the Murdoch empire's wings would be a good start, and seeing those responsible for creating and maintaining the environment in which this flourished in the dock would ice the cake nicely.

    We're always told the big bucks are for taking big responsibilities. It would be good to see that taken to it's logical conclusion for a change.

  20. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Caller ID Spoofing....

    Is absolutely trivial IF you have a ISDN phone line.

    But every call goes to any exchange (Or PABX) with ANI information too - and that's NOT spoofable or withholdable. Quite why the systems would work on the (unreliable) CLID field is an interesting question of competency.

    (Endusers aren't supposed to see ANI information but I'm pretty sure lots of companies take the information and link it to the customer. When I owned an ISP it came through on the terminating modem equipment and proved useful to trace down users of stolen passwords)

  21. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Happy

    If Wade went Rupe would be looking for a new redhead

    Sadly the complete lack of moral scruple called for is beyond any candidate I can think of.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    If Wade/Brooks goes

    then James Murdoch is next in the firing line, and that can't be allowed to happen, can it. Though it already looks like it might be hard to avoid.

    House of Commons, 12 July: Home Affairs Select Committee continues its "phone hacking" investigations.

    Witnesses on this week's schedule include:

    12:00 Andy Hayman (former Metroploditan anti-terrorism and special projects officer responsible for the 2006 hacking "inquiry", now a Murdoch employee)

    12:30 DAC Sue Akers (Met officer responsible for current hacking inquiry)

    Stay tuned for full coverage on Sky TV?

    http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/home-affairs-committee/news/110705-hacking/

    ps

    yes I do know it's not really hacking

    pps

    see also

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2013055/News-World-Andy-Hayman-criticised-acting-stop-News-World-tracks-earlier.html

  23. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No further proof...

    it's all about who your mates are... Anyone else huckled on a Friday would have a nice weekend in the cells before being bailed by the beak on Monday afternoon if they were lucky.

  24. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Joke

    If this were Reservoir Dogs

    Is Andy Coulson Mr Orange or Mr White?

    I think we know who Joe, Nice Guy Eddie and Vince are.

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