Menezes family's 'deep pain' at finding phones were hacked

The family of Jean Charles de Menezes told today of their "deep pain" as it emerged they were among four new cases of phone hacking.

Scotland Yard detectives have told Alex Pereira, a cousin of the Brazilian electrician, who was shot dead wrongly by police in 2005, that he was targeted by the News of the World. Meanwhile, three celebrities have launched legal action against News International over claims their phones were hacked: London nightclub owner Guy Pelly - a close friend of Princes William and Harry - glamour model Abi Titmuss, and TV star Ulrika Jonsson.

Mr de Menezes, 27, was killed by counter-terror police at Stockwell Tube as they searched for would-be suicide bomber Hussain Osman the day after the failed July 21 attacks.

His family said officers from Operation Weeting - the Met's new phone-hacking inquiry - told them yesterday that Mr Pereira's mobile number was in documents seized from News of the World private investigator Glenn Mulcaire six years ago.

A spokesman said: "The Menezes family are deeply pained to find their phones may have been hacked at a time at which they were at their most vulnerable and bereaved. They are bewildered as to why police did not approach them with this information earlier, and fear police may be attempting to cover up their own wrongdoing once more."

Today Mr Pereira's relatives wrote to David Cameron asking him to widen the hacking probe and examine damaging leaks to the media after the death of Mr Menezes. The letter reads: "We are conscious that the newspapers owned by News International provided some of the most virulent and often misleading coverage around Jean's death and its aftermath.

"The lies included false allegations that Jean Charles was wearing a bulky jacket, had failed to stop after a police warning, had jumped the ticket barriers or had acted suspiciously in the moments leading up to his shooting.

"We would like the inquiry into this scandal to [investigate] whether police officers ... were leaking information to the press, either for financial benefit or in a vain effort to deflect criticism from the actions of the Metropolitan police which had led to Jean's death."

This week, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers, leading Operation Weeting, admitted many more potential victims were yet to emerge as offi-cers had contacted only 170 of almost 4,000 names on Mulcaire's notes.

Today it emerged that Mr Pelly, who runs Chelsea nightclub Public, has instructed lawyers to draw up a civil claim for breach of privacy. He declined to give details.

Scotland Yard detectives also contacted Titmuss - whose volatile relationship with former Blue Peter presenter John Leslie was widely reported in the tabloids - two months ago to warn her there was evidence to suggest her voicemails had been intercepted by the News of the World.

A source close to Titmuss said she was "shocked and upset" and was planning to take legal action.
Jonsson revealed that police had warned her earlier this year that the Sunday tabloid had her mobile phone Pin and numbers for her automatic front gate, and it was likely she was "being watched".

Jonsson told Tonight on ITV1: "I was contacted by the Met ...my head started pounding.
I felt sick. I felt really scared."

She claimed a News of the World executive warned her not to leave voicemails as they would be intercepted.