Hacking Scandal : Key figures All together there were 30 people involved in the Hacking Scandal. This included people such as p olice o fficers, private investigators, journalists and reporters. The whole phone hacking scandal came to light in 2002 as part of The Guardians long-standing investigations. By 2006 it was clear that illegal activities were taking place by News of the World as the royal reporter and a private investigator Glen Mulcaire, were tried and convicted of illegal phone-hacking in relation to Princes William and Harry. The Guardian reports started to uncover evidence that, in fact, the activities had spread far wider at the paper. The News International phone-hacking scandal is a controversy involving the now defunct News of the World and other British newspapers published by News International , a subsidiary of the then News Corporation. Employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in phone hacking, police bribery, and exercising improper influence in the pursuit of stories. Whilst investigations conducted from 2005 to 2007 appeared to show that the paper's phone hacking activities were limited to celebrities, politicians and members of the British Royal Family, in July 2011 it was revealed that the phones of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler , relatives of deceased British soldiers, and victims of the 7 July 2005 London bombings had also been hacked . January 2007 News of the World ( NoW ) royal editor Clive Goodman and hacker Glenn Mulcaire convicted of phone hacking. Editor Andy Coulson resigns. News International says Goodman is a rogue reporter. 8 July 2009 The Guardian publishes an article claiming hacking was more widespread on NoW . 1 September 2010 The New York Times implicates former editor Andy Coulson, citing the now-deceased former NoW reporter Sean Hoare. 21 January 2011 Andy Coulson resigns as David Cameron's spin doctor, blaming coverage of phone hacking. Five days later, Operation Weeting , the Met police investigation into phone hacking, launches. April 2011 Three reporters on the News of the World are arrested: Ian Edmondson, Neville Thurlbeck and James Weatherup . Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News International, is on holiday in the Caribbean and is advised by colleagues that she too could face arrest. 4 July 2011 The Guardian publishes an article online claiming Milly Dowler's phone was hacked. 7 July 2011 The Met police says there are a possible 4,000 targets of hacking. James Murdoch announces the News of the World is to close. 10 July 2011 The News of the World publishes its final edition after 168 years. 15 July Brooks resigns. Les Hinton, her predecessor, now in New York running Dow Jones, follows hours later. 16 July Rupert Murdoch apologises in full-page adverts, saying: "We are sorry for the serious wrongdoing that occurred". 17 July Brooks arrested in relation to phone hacking. 19 July Rupert Murdoch tells a House of Commons committee that appearing before it is "the most humble day of my life". 27 October 2013 The phone-hacking trial of Brooks, Coulson and six others begins.