Timeline

12 July 2011 Last updated at 11:56 GMT The extent of phone hacking at the News of the World has stunned the nation and led to the closure of the paper after 168 years. Allegations of phone hacking first emerged in 2005, but police now say there could be up to 4,000 victims including celebrities, sport stars, politicians and victims of crime. This timeline looks at the chain of events that led to the scandal.

Rebekah Brooks (Wade, as she was then) is appointed editor of the News of the World. Gains a profile for her controversial "Sarah's law" campaign in which the paper began naming sex offenders. During her three years as editor, it's alleged that NoW reporters hacked the phones of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler and the parents of the Soham murder victims. She moves to the Sun in 2003. Andy Coulson becomes editor at the News of the World. Appears with Wade before a Commons committee, where Wade admits to paying police for information. In 2005 NoW named newspaper of the year. Mr Coulson tells the awards ceremony: "The News of the World doesn't pretend to do anything other than reveal big stories and titillate and entertain the public, while exposing crime and hypocrisy." In November, the newspaper's royal editor, Clive Goodman, writes a story about Prince William suffering a knee injury. Buckingham Palace suspects the prince's voicemail was hacked to get the story and in December calls in Scotland Yard. In August 2006, police arrest Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire for illegal phone hacking. On 26 January Clive Goodman, the News of the World's former royal editor, and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire are jailed for illegally accessing the royal phone messages. As editor of the newspaper at the time, Andy Coulson resigns. Colin Myler takes over. In March, Les Hinton, a senior aide to Rupert Murdoch, tells a Commons committee that a "rigorous internal investigation" found no evidence of widespread hacking at the paper. On 15 May the Press Complaints Commission, the newspaper regulation watchdog, published a report on hacking but said it found no evidence of wrongdoing at the NoW. Later in May, Harbottle and Lewis, News International's lawyers, also reviewed internal emails between Mr Coulson and executives but found "no evidence" they were aware of Goodman's actions. Four months after he resigned over the royal hacking scandal Mr Coulson is appointed as the Conservative party's director of communications and planning. A few days later David Cameron, then leader of the opposition, chooses Mr Coulson as his media advisor. On 7 December 2007 Rupert Murdoch's youngest son, James Murdoch, becomes the chief executive of News Corp's European and Asian operations. In April of the following year, he agrees a payment to Gordon Taylor of the Football Association reported to be ?700,000, to settle a phone hacking claim. The deal included a gagging order preventing Mr Taylor from discussing the case. Mr Murdoch later says that he "did not have a complete picture" of the situation at the tabloid Details of the payments to Gordon Taylor and two other football figures totalling ?1m are published in the Guardian. The money was paid to settle legal cases that would have named other journalists who hacked phones. NoW says the allegations are "false". The next day Assistant Met commissioner John Yates says after "the most careful investigation by experienced detectives" no further investigation is required. The Guardian newspaper reveals up to 3,000 people may have had their voice mails hacked by NoW journalists. The Commons culture, media and sport committee interviews News International executives about the claims.Mr Coulson tells the committeethat he has "never condoned the use of phone hacking and nor do I have any recollection of incidences where phone hacking took place." Ex-NoW editor Rebekah Brooks leaves The Sun to become the chief executive of News International, a further elevation for one of Rupert Murdoch's favourites. Appearing before the Commons committee, News International chairman Les Hinton denied former royal editor Goodman was paid to keep quiet about the affair. A second PCC report on hacking concluded that it was not misled by NoW. This report has now been formally withdrawn. In February a Commons culture, media and sport committee report finds no evidence that Mr Coulson knew phone-hacking took place at the News of the World. However, it says it is "inconceivable" that no one apart from Goodman was aware of it. On 9 March the Guardian reports that PR supremo Max Clifford was paid ?1m to drop legal action that could have revealed more NoW reporters hacked phones. On 1 September a New York Times investigation quotes an ex-NoW reporter - Sean Hoare - who says phone hacking was encouraged at the tabloid. Mr Hoare also tells the BBC that phone hacking was "endemic" at the paper and that Mr Coulson asked him to do it. Another ex NoW reporter, Paul McMullan, tells the Guardian that other illegal reporting techniques were widespread. Scotland Yard re-opens the inquiry to question Mr Hoare and Mr McMullan as witnesses but later announces that no new evidence has been found. Later, on 17 September, Lord Prescott and others launch legal action seeking judicial review of Scotland Yard investigation. In December, Sienna Miller's lawyers say they have found new evidence in the material seized by Scotland Yard in August 2006. The News of the World suspends Ian Emondson, its assistant editor, news, in the first indication that the paper is taking the mounting scandal seriously. It is reported that Glenn Mulcaire says he was commissioned to hack phones by Mr Emondson. Mr Coulson resigns from his post at Number 10, blaming coverage of the phone-hacking scandal. He said continued coverage of events connected to his old job at the News of the World had made it difficult for him to do his job properly. He added: "I stand by what I've said about those events but when the spokesman needs a spokesman, it's time to move on." The Guardian reports allegations that NoW hacked into the voicemails left for murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler when Rebekah Brooks was editor. She says it is "inconceivable" that she knew of the activity. In a bid to rid his company of a "toxic" brand, the chief executive of News International, James Murdoch, announces that, after 168 years in print, the News of the World will close. The Sunday's editor Colin Myler pays tribute to his staff after publishing the final edition of the paper, on 10 July, describing them as "the best". The paper says sorry for its conduct and admits: "We lost our way."

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