LONDON, June 9 (UPI) -- A detective working for a newspaper accessed Kate Middleton's bank account before her marriage to Prince William, a member of the British Parliament charges.
Tom Watson made the allegation Wednesday in the House of Commons, The Daily Telegraph reported. He said Jonathan Rees, allegedly employed by the News of the World, a London tabloid, hacked Middleton's bank account in 2005, while she was the prince's girlfriend but long before their marriage.
Rees is also alleged to have targeted former Prime Minister Tony Blair and the duke and duchess of Kent, among others. Scotland Yard has not considered the charges as part of its phone hacking investigation because they involve other types of intrusion, the Telegraph said.
The News of the World hired Rees after his release in 2004 from a prison term for planning to plant cocaine on a woman. He was acquitted this year on a charge of killing Daniel Morgan, founder of the company that employed him, Southern Investigations.
"It is well documented that Jonathan Rees and Southern Investigations worked for a whole variety of newspaper groups," The News of the World said in a statement.
"With regards to Tom Watson's specific allegations, we believe these are wholly inaccurate. The Met Police, with whom we are cooperating fully in Operation Weeting, have not asked us for any information regarding Jonathan Rees."
