In-house lawyer at Times Newspapers Ltd (TNL), publisher of The Times and The Sunday Times, for 33 years (1977-2010), becoming head of The Times’ Legal Department. He was questioned at the Inquiry on his knowledge of Nightjack, an anonymous police blogger whose identity The Times had revealed. It later emerged that the identity was discovered via phone hacking and a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal later ruled that Alastair Brett knowingly allowed the high court to be misled over the hacking of Nightjack's email account.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner from 2009 to 2011. At the time of giving evidence, he had just formally resigned from that position. Questioned on the Met's hospitality rules, he told the Inquiry that he thought it important for police and press to have good relations. He was asked particularly about the hospitality he had accepted from Stephen Purdew, the owner of Champneys health spa, where Sir Paul had had an extensive programme of physiotherapy. He was also asked about his connection with Neil Wallis, Executive Editor of the News of the World from 2007 to 2009, who worked as a PR for Champneys. Wallis was later arrested as part of Operation Weeting but was cleared of all charges brought against him.
