James Murdoch swears he didn’t read the ‘hacking is rife’ email

James Murdoch today denied on oath reading a bombshell email in 2008 that suggested phone hacking was “rife” at the News of the World.

Mr Murdoch told the inquiry into press standards: “I didn’t read it at the time ... I had just arrived on a flight back from Hong Kong and I was with my young children.”

During his appearance in front of Lord Justice Leveson, Mr Murdoch, 39, denied his part in an alleged corporate “cover-up” and blamed senior executives for failing to inform him of damaging evidence relating to phone hacking.

The News of the World was closed down last July after revelations that it targeted voicemails of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler. Under pressure to explain his role in News International’s misleading positions over the extent of phone hacking, Mr Murdoch, who resigned from the company in February, dumped responsibility on his ex-legal lieutenant Tom Crone and the last NoW editor Colin Myler.

The case centres on the hacking of football union boss Gordon Taylor, who emerged as a victim of the News of the World in 2008. The Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive was the first victim to come forward after the NoW’s former royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire were jailed for phone hacking in 2007.

Following Mr Taylor’s claim against News International, Mr Myler emailed James Murdoch on June 7 2008. He told him that the situation is “as bad as we feared” and forwarded him another email that suggested phone hacking was “rife”.

During their testimony at the judicial inquiry, Mr Myler and Mr Crone both claimed they informed Mr Murdoch of another infamous email — known as the “for Neville email” — that proved voicemail hacking extended beyond Goodman at the News of the World.

Both former Murdoch lieutenants have also previously claimed they showed Mr Murdoch a disastrous legal opinion from Michael Silverleaf, QC, that found there was a “culture of illegal information access” at the defunct Sunday tabloid.

Mr Murdoch said: “What I was told was very clear. There was a piece of evidence that linked the voicemail interception of Mr Taylor to the News of the World. This was a new fact and this was a case to be lost.”

However, under tenacious questioning from Robert Jay, QC, Mr Murdoch claimed he was not told all the damning detail. He added: “I did not see it at the time nor was it provided to me.”