Phone hacking scandal: London police assistant commissioner resigns
In the wake of the phone hacking scandal that has engulfed Rupert Murdoch's media empire, the London police assistant commissioner John Yates today resigned, just a day after Paul Stephenson, London's police commissioner resigned.
Heads continued to roll in Britain's widening phone hacking scandal as London police's number two officer also quit on Monday under incessant pressure over the police department's links to tainted officials of Murdoch's media group.The resignation of Met Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates came a day after his boss Sir Paul Stephenson stepped down following questions over the hiring of a former top executive of News of the World, who was last week arrested in connection with the phone hacking and bribery probe.Yates had checked the credentials of the ex-News of the World executive Neil Wallis, before the Met employed him as its PR consultant.His resignation came after he was informed he would be suspended for an inquiry into his relationship with Wallis, BBC reported.Wallis, a former NOTW deputy editor, was arrested and released on bail on Thursday on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications.The widening scandal has already claimed a number of victims, including the newspaper closed down, and former News International CEO Rebakah Brooks, who resigned on Friday.The scandal also ignited a debate over the scale of links between politicians, the media and the police and has prompted several top politicians to demand a review of media ownership laws to prevent concentration of power.