Public revulsion and political fallout increased Wednesday for a Rupert Murdoch-owned British tabloid amid reports the paper hacked the phones of terror victims and slain schoolgirls.
"It's absolutely disgusting what has taken place," British Prime Minister David Cameron said Wednesday in promising an investigation of the sordid case.
Speaking at the British Parliament, an angry Cameron said he was certain that "everyone in this house, indeed this country, will be revolted" by the stunning revelations.
The four-year scandal involving Murdoch's News of the World initially focused on its alleged hacking into the voicemails of celebrities, politicians and sports stars.
Actor Hugh Grant said Wednesday on Sky News that he was summoned by London police as part of their probe.
But the tale took a morbid turn with charges that tabloid operatives hacked into the voicemail of 13-year-old murder victim Milly Dowler in 2002, deleting messages from her cell phone.
The illegal actions affected the police probe, leading both investigators and the slain girl's family to believe she was alive.
Investigators into the phone-hacking have also contacted the families of Holly Weiss and Jessica Chapman, two other girls murdered in eastern England in 2002, the Press Association newswire reported Wednesday.
Family members of the victims of the July 7, 2005, London terror bombings were outraged by reports that their phones were possibly hacked after the attack that killed 52 people.
"I just felt so stunned and horrified," said Graham Foulkes, whose son, David, died in the bombings.
"I find it hard to believe someone could be so wicked and so evil and that someone could work for an organization that even today is trying to defend what they see as normal practices."
In addition to the phone-hacking woes, London police confirmed they were investigating illegal payments to its officers from the News of the World in return for inside information.
A visitor leaves the main entrance to the offices of the scandal-plagued News of the World newspaper in London, U.K., Wednesday. (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg)
"These events show a systematic set of abuses that show the exercise of power without responsibility in our country," said Labour Party leader Ed Miliband.
The politician demanded the immediate resignation of Rebekah Brooks, CEO of the tabloid's parent company News International.
Murdoch, though, stood by Brooks Wednesday.
Advertisers were pulling ads from News of the World in response to the public outcry, including automakers Ford UK and Vauxhall, the Halifax bank and the travel company Virgin Holidays.
"We're no longer talking about politicians and celebrities," Cameron said. "We are talking about murder victims, potentially terrorist victims, having their phones hacked into."
News By: nydailynews.com/
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