Hacking Probe: Witnesses Compelled To Testify

The judge leading the public inquiry into the phone-hacking scandal has said he will use statutory powers to compel witnesses to testify where appropriate.

Lord Justice Leveson also revealed the first public meetings will be held in September.

As the inquiry panel met for the first time in central London, he appealed to the press and others not to close ranks, but to think of the greater public good and co-operate with his inquiry.

The senior judge also indicated the panel could miss the 12-month deadline for producing the first report because the terms of reference "grew very substantially" after the Prime Minister 's initial statement announcing a probe.

He said he would "strive" to meet that deadline, but "not at all costs".

The inquiry will focus initially on the relationship between the press and public, as well as press regulation.

The relationship the media has with police and politicians will be looked at later in the inquiry process.

Lord Justice Leveson warned witnesses to expect legal letters ordering them to appear before the inquiry.

The notices will be sent out in "waves" but "no discourtesy is intended" and "no conclusions should be drawn", he insisted.

The second section of the inquiry will look at the specific phone-hacking allegations that arose in the wake of the scandal at the News Of The World.

But it will only begin once the police investigation have been completed.

The inquiry panel is likely to have its work cut out, both in terms of keeping the probe on track and ensuring its scope does not widen even further to an unmanageable level.

A series of seminars will be held in October looking at law, media ethics and the practice and pressures of investigative journalism for broadsheet and tabloid newspapers.

Lord Justice Leveson said: "At some stage, there needs to be a discussion of what amounts to the public good, to what extent the public interest should be used."

He said: "I hope that an appropriate cross-section of the entire profession, including those from the broadcast media, will be involved in the discussion."

He added: "It may be tempting for a number of people to close ranks and suggest that the problem is or was local to a group of journalists then operating at the News of the World.

"But I would encourage all to take a wider view of the public good and help me grapple with the width and depth of the problem."

The inquiry was announced on July 13 by PM David Cameron, who insisted it would be a "robust" investigation into illegal press practices and police failures.

The single inquiry replaced his previous proposal for two separate investigations and followed discussions with Deputy PM Nick Clegg and Labour leader Ed Miliband.

Lord Justice Leveson, 62, is a very experienced high court judge. He prosecuted serial killer Rose West, and was the senior presiding judge in England and Wales between 2006 and 2009.

He heads a panel of experts from the legal, media, political and policing professions.