The Disturbing Tale of Jonathan Rees

(Posted on 08/06/11)

The House of Commons accused a private investigator on Wednesday of hacking into the phones of many of the UK's most visible folks, including former prime minister Tony Blair and now, sources say Kate Middleton has been targeted too.

Jonathan Rees, accused of stealing confidential information,computer hacking and burglary, is reported to have committed these crimes according to New International, owned by Rupert Murdoch. Along with Blair and Middleton, it's believed Rees also set his sights on Blair's former media adviser, Alastair Campbell, Prince Edward, the Duke and Duchess of Kent and former Metropolitan police commissioner Sr. John Stevens. It's also believed Rees was successful in penetrating the Royal Family's bank accounts. Further, it's believed confidential information on both the governor and deputy governor of the Bank of England was stolen; specifically, their mortgage information. But the belief of many is that this latest scandal pales in comparison to some of the other charges he's faced.

Many reports are citing activity dating back six years. In July 2006, information about MI6 agents was stolen courtesy of a very specialized computer hack. Even more disturbing is the 1987 ax murder of Rees' former business partner, Daniel Morgan. Charges had been pending against Rees, though they were dropped in early 2011. Morgan's murder remains unsolved and his brother, Alastair, is now culling information as he decides whether it merits a book. He's been conducting his own investigations against Rees for years.

Rees' agency, Southern Investigations, was raided and boxes of papers were removed from the location by Metropolitan police.

Now, demands are being made for more sophisticated security efforts to ensure such a widespread and potentially devastating hack doesn't occur again. Unfortunately, there are now claims that Rees worked for a "variety of newspaper groups". If proven, this could spell trouble for Rees outside the UK. For now, though, the investigation continues with no charges filed thus far.