Sky News Defends Hacking Email of Canoe Fraudster John Darwin

Sky News has defended itself over hacking the Yahoo email account of John Darwin, who was found guilty with his wife in 2008 of fraud and money laundering.

Darwin was reported missing in a canoe in the North Sea in March 2002. Anne Darwin, his wife, collected over £500,000 in life insurance payouts as he hid in their marital home having been deemed deceased.

It emerged today that Sky News had allowed a journalist to obtain access to email accounts, in order to uncover communications between the Darwins. Head of Sky News, John Ryley, said the broadcaster stood by its actions as “editorially justified.”

‘In the public interest’

“After careful consideration, Sky News granted permission because we believed the story was justified in the public interest,” Ryley said in a blog post. “None of the material obtained was broadcast prior to the conviction and our coverage made clear that we had discovered and supplied emails to the police. There has been no attempt by Sky News to conceal these facts, which have been available on our website ever since.”

He defended the action by pointing to other publications’ use of stolen data, including the Daily Telegraph’s revelations surrounding the MPs’ expenses scandal.

“At the same time, we are equally clear that we do not tolerate wrong-doing. That’s why we commissioned, at our own initiative, reviews of payments and email records at Sky News,” Ryley said. “I’m pleased to say those reviews did not reveal any illegal or unethical behaviour. If they had, we would have investigated thoroughly and taken whatever action was necessary.”

It remains illegal to hack into people’s machines under the Computer Misuse Act. A proposed EU law would make the minimum sentence for hacking into a machine two years in prison.

The news comes amidst turmoil at BSkyB and its related companies. Sky News is owned by BSkyB, which is currently under investigation by Ofcom. The regulator is trying to decide whether BSkyB should even be allowed to hold a broadcasting licence.

News Corporation, which owns a controlling stake in BskyB, was recently accused of hacking rival ONDigital. However, NewsCorp denied the allegations made by BBC Panorama.

Meanwhile, the Leveson Inquiry has been gathering evidence on the culture, ethics and practices of media organisations. BSkyB has been under the spotlight during the hearings, especially the now former chairman James Murdoch. Hearings continued this month.

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