After his 'canoe death' stunt, Darwin allowed his sons to think their father was dead |
Sky News
has said it illegally hacked emails belonging to members of the public on two
separate occasions.
The
broadcaster said it hacked emails belonging to John Darwin - who faked his own
death in a canoe - and his wife Anne.
It also
revealed it accessed the email accounts of a suspected paedophile and his wife.
Sky News
said the action was in the public interest and amounted to "responsible
journalism".
It released
a statement which said: "Sky News is committed to the highest editorial
standards.
"Like
other news organisations, we are acutely aware of the tensions that can arise
between the law and responsible investigative journalism.
"We
stand by these actions as editorially justified and in the public
interest."
The
statement went on: "We do not take such decisions lightly or frequently.
"They
require finely balanced judgement based on individual circumstances and must
always be subjected to the proper editorial controls."
John Darwin
was reported missing in a canoe in the North Sea in March 2002.
His wife
Anne collected more than £500,000 in life insurance payouts while he hid in
their marital home, allowing their two sons to think he was dead.
The pair
were found guilty of the deception in 2008.
'Extremely
sensitive'
Sky News
said that after accessing their emails, it supplied material to Cleveland
police which was "pivotal" to the court case.
A Cleveland
Police spokeswoman said: "Cleveland Police has conducted an initial review
into these matters and can confirm that enquiries are ongoing into how the
emails were obtained."
It is illegal
to hack into emails under the Computer Misuse Act.
BBC Home
Affairs Correspondent Matt Prodger said: "It's extremely sensitive,
because Sky News is a subsidiary of BSkyB, which is currently under
investigation by Ofcom to see whether it is fit and proper to continue holding
a broadcasting licence.
"So it
is a real blow to yet another part of the Murdoch empire."
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