News International 'mass deleted emails'

Technology firm HCL has told the Home Affairs select committee that it was aware of the deletion of hundreds of thousands of emails by News International, but also insisted that it knew of nothing "untoward" in the requests.

In a letter sent to the committee chairman Keith Vaz, India-based HCL revealed that it had been involved in nine instances of email deletion by News International between April 2010 and July 2011, reports The Guardian.

HCL said that it was not responsible for any emails held on the News International system older than a couple of weeks, as that was handled by another company. However, it confirmed that it has co-operated with this unnamed operator in deleting material.

As it was not responsible for storing News International's data, HCL said that "any suggestion or allegation that it has deleted material held on behalf of News International is without foundation".

Writing on behalf of HCL, solicitors Stuart Benson said: "My client is aware of nothing which appeared abnormal, untoward or inconsistent with its contractual role.

"It is entirely for News International, the police and your committee as to whether there was any other agenda or subtext when issues of deletion arose, and that is a matter on which my client cannot comment and something you will no doubt wish to explore direct with News International."

Separately, Harbottle and Lewis, the law firm employed by News International, is soon expected to respond to the Home Affairs select committee about a key letter used to show that phone hacking was not widespread at the publisher.

Harbottle and Lewis is consulting with the Metropolitan Police before discussing why it wrote the letter to the culture, media and sport select committee in 2007 after being hired to review the case of the News of the World's royal reporter Clive Goodman.

Goodman had pleaded guilty to hacking the voicemails of royal household staff, but the letter said that there was "no reasonable evidence" that senior editors at the Sunday tabloid knew about the journalist's "illegal actions".

The New York Times alleges that the letter was sent to the select committee with the purpose of clearing News International of any liability over phone hacking.

Last week, MPs voted against recalling James Murdoch to give more evidence on phone hacking, although the culture committee said that it would write to the News International chairman asking him to clarify certain statements he has made.

Over the weekend, a satirical trailer for a fictional movie based on the News International phone hacking controversy emerged online, starring Mick Hucknall as Rebekah Brooks and Hilary Swank as James Murdoch.