Rupert Murdoch knew, or should have known (to use the barristers' terms) that his employees were accessories to murder and were in violation not merely of criminal law, but of all human moral and ethical restrictions. There is no way such activity could have been performed on such a pervasive level without the direct involvement of the very highest level of management.

Absolutely. But it's more than perverting the course of justice, it's disposal of evidence, obstructing the police, aiding and abetting if it actually hindered an investigation, etc. etc. Those are all criminal acts.

Clearly a whole host of criminal acts have been committed. What will be interesting is to see how high up the chain the criminal responsibility goes.

In murder cases there is the concept of joint enterprise; the guy encouraging the bloke who actually pulled the trigger is just as guilty. Does that principal apply to other criminal acts?

If it does, where does the chain end? Rebecca Wade? The Dirty Digger himself? Now wouldn't that be a sight to behold... There's talk in this evening's news of huge pressure from up on high to get results; does that count as joint enterprise?

What is quite astonishing is the way in which the police tumbled to what had been going on. Apparently the NOTW published something that the rozzers realised could have come only from Milly Dowler's mobile voicemail. Pretty stupid of the NOTW. Surely the first rule of spying is not to let on that you've been doing it? A host of lengthy jail sentences will make it clear that such appalling behaviour by the press isn't worth it. Publishing it might just be as good as turning up at Wormwood scrubs and asking to stay for a few years.

When it was celebs and politicians getting hacked I really couldn't have cared less, it's part of the territory as far as being famous goes.

But interfering with a criminal investigation as serious as the Milly Dowler case is crossing the line from privacy breaches into perverting the course of justice.

Never mind resignations, I want to see people in prison for this. And the "News" of the world should be closed down.