The Scoop

"I'm not a conspiracy theorist..." - but Green candidate posts a conspiracy theory anyway

Darryl Chamberlain | Tuesday 19 July, 2011 11:42

Former News of the World journalist Sean Hoare’s death has been a tragic reminder that the phone-hacking scandal has a human cost too.

The long-serving showbusiness reporter, who blew the whistle on wrongdoings at Wapping, was found dead at his home in Watford on Monday.

With family and friends grieving, the circumstances of his death remain unclear. Surely, then, time for a mayoral candidate and member of the Metropolitan Police Authority to be very careful in what they say?

The Greens’ Jenny Jones was surprisingly open – and appears to have tweeted the first thing that came into her head upon hearing the news.

“I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but if I were, I’d consider the death of Sean Hoare at this precise moment as v v v suspicious.”

It’s undeniable that many, many people would have had similar thoughts.

But most of them don’t have the responsibilities of Jones, who has been a member of the MPA – which scrutinises the Met’s work – since it was formed in 2000. Earlier on Monday, she was among members calling for the resignation of assistant commissioner John Yates.

Jones did not respond to tweets questioning why she had speculated about Sean Hoare’s death, and the London Green Party’s spokeperson has been unavailable for comment.

But with the Met’s neighbouring force in Hertfordshire still investigating, Jenny Jones may well now regret her comments.

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