Record payout
September 20, 2011
The family of a murdered British schoolgirl whose phone was hacked by a tabloid newspaper is reportedly set to receive a record compensation settlement of 2.3 million euros ($3.1 million), the Times newspaper reported Tuesday.
The Times, part of publisher Rupert Murdoch's News International group, reported that the parents of Milly Dowler would receive the equivalent of 2.3 million euros, and that Murdoch himself said he would personally donate 1.1 million euros to charities selected by the Dowler family.
Dowler was 13 years old when she was abducted and murdered in 2003. It was later revealed that News of the World, a Sunday tabloid owned by Murdoch, hacked into her mobile phone after she was dead and, when the mailbox filled up, erased messages, giving her parents false hope that she was still alive.
The resulting scandal over News International's widespread phone hacking forced the resignations of senior British political and media officials and the closure of the News of the World in July.
The payout is the largest settlement in the group's history.
Author: Sarah Harman (AP, dpa)
Editor: Martin Kuebler