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In February 2004, four suspects plead guilty to conspiring to commit misconduct in public office: Wittamore and Boyall, retired police officer Alan King, and Paul Marshall, a police communications officer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jonathan Rees: private investigator who ran empire of tabloid corruption |author=Nick Davies |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/mar/11/jonathan-rees-private-investigator-tabloid |newspaper=The Guardian |date=11 March 2011 |accessdate=13 September 2011}}</ref> The four were given [[conditional discharge]]s. Other members of Whittamore's network were due to stand trial but the case collapsed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Operation Motorman: the full story revealed |author=Nick Davies |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/aug/31/press-privacy-information-commmissioner |newspaper=The Guardian |date=31 August 2009 |accessdate=13 September 2011}}</ref>
In September 2011, former policeman Alec Owens, the original lead investigator of Operation Motorman, criticised the senior management of the ICO for the way in which the investigation was handled. He stated that investigators were prohibited from interviewing journalists and alleged that this was because the management "were frightened". He said that had the team been allowed to question journalists the use of phone hacking might have been uncovered earlier.<ref>{{cite news |title=Exposed after eight years: a private eye's dirty work for Fleet Street |author= |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/exposed-after-eight-years-a-private-eyes-dirty-work-for-fleet-street-2354360.html |newspaper=The Independent |date=14 September 2011 |accessdate=14 September 2011}}</ref> In November 2011, just a few days before Owens was due to give evidence to the [[Leveson Inquiry]], his home was raided under warrant by [[Cheshire Police]]. Before leaving under police caution for an interview at [[Wilmslow]] police station, Ownes informed [[Brian Leveson|Lord Leveson]] by phone of the raid.<ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2063610/Leveson-inquiry-News-World-journalists-computers-grinder.html</ref>
== References ==
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