Jacqui Hames

Overview:

Jacqui Hames, a former Metropolitan Police officer and Crimewatch presenter, was targeted by journalists and private investigators working for the News of the World, who unlawfully intercepted her private communications and obtained confidential information connected to police operations. She later gave evidence to the Leveson Inquiry about the impact of being subjected to surveillance and phone hacking.

It was subsequently alleged - including in the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel - that the reason the News of the World spied on Jacqui and her family was in order to interfere in a murder investigation being led by her husband of the time.  Several News UK reporters were alleged to have been involved in the cover up of the murder of Daniel Morgan, and it is widely believed that the intrusions into Jacqui’s life were connected to this.

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Key facts

• Hames’s name appeared in the Glenn Mulcaire notebooks, indicating she had been targeted for phone hacking and surveillance.
• Journalists accessed her private communications without consent.
• An Independent Panel found it was likely that News UK’s intrusion in her life was an attempt to interfere in a murder investigation, yet this was never properly investigated.
• Publishers later settled hacking claims against her, issuing apologies and paying damages.
• Hames became a prominent campaigner for press accountability and for completion of the Leveson Inquiry, and is now a Board Director of Hacked Off

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Further reading:

• Detailed account of unlawful surveillance and press misconduct [February 2012]: The Trple Betrayal of Jacqui Hames‍
• Jacqui Hames emotional testimony [February 2012]: “Former police officer breaks down in tears when telling inquiry about NOW surveillance”‍
• Calls for the completion of the Leveson Inquiry after court settlement [February 2018]: ‍Former police officer and crimewatch presenter Jacqui Hames calls for Leveson 2 after settling Hacking claim‍‍
• Hames’s reflections on press abuse from her policing career [November 2025]: My Line of Duty — Part 2: What Happened Next and WHy it Still Matters‍
• Jacqui Hames awarded King’s Honour [August 2025]: Advocates for change- it runs in the family

Significance of this story

Jacqui Hames’s case revealed how unlawful press practices caused deep personal harm and undermined trust in public institutions. Her evidence helped expose phone hacking as a systemic problem, not isolated misconduct. It underscores the ongoing need for effective, independent press oversight.