Ex-News of the World U.S. editor arrested

LONDON -- Former News of the World U.S. editor James Desborough has been arrested by police in London in conjunction with now-defunct tabloid's phone hacking scandal. Officers from Operation Weeting, the operation investigating the scandal, arrested him "on suspicion of conspiring to unlawfully intercept voicemails contrary to section 1 (1) Criminal Law Act 1977." Desborough, who had been living in Los Angeles since 2009 after being promoted from showbiz reporter at the paper, was arrested on Thursday morning when he arrived at a London police station by appointment for questioning about the illegal activities of the News Intl. paper. He joined News of the World in 2005 as a showbiz and news reporter. His arrest, the 13th by Operation Weeting, is understood to be in relation to activities prior to his promotion to U.S. editor and raises questions about whether he used illegal practices to gather information on U.S. turf, which would further add to News Corp.'s legal and regulatory problems. Desborough was promoted less than a month after winning the British Press Award for showbusiness reporter of the year, where the judging panel said that he "produced a series of uncompromising scoops, which mean no celebrity with secrets can sleep easy." He was also part of the press corps that toured with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when they visited Los Angeles recently, and was writing for the News of the World until it closed last month. Contact Diana Lodderhose at diana.lodderhose@variety.com