U.K. Police Knew Dowler’s Phone Hacked In 2002

A British Police chief said Thursday that Scotland Yard knew in 2002 that missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler’s phone had been hacked—and they are currently investigating why no one was ever prosecuted over the case. Reporters from the tabloid the News of the World reportedly hacked into the 13-year-old’s phone, and then allegedly deleted messages, leaving her family to falsely believe she was alive although she was later found dead. The phone-hacking practices first came to light in 2006 when former reporter Clive Goodman was arrested for eavesdropping on the royal family. Although several people were arrested in the phone-hacking scandal over the years, the scandal mushroomed once the public learned about Dowler’s phone being hacked in July 2011. Since then, both the head of Scotland Yard and his deputy have resigned over the scandal and a detective has been arrested.