It is being reported that Sean Hoare has bene found dead at his house.  Mr Hoare worked as a journalist at the News of the World and was the first named individual to directly allege Andy Coulson knew of the practice within the News of the World while he was editor.

Mr Coulson went on to resign from his post following the convictions of Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire and later worked for David Cameron within the Conservative Party and then as his Director of Communications in Downing Street, a post that Mr Coulson resigned from over the News of the World debacle.  Hertfordshire Police issued a statement saying that at 10:40am on Monday 18 July 2011 they “were called to Langley Road, Watford, following the concerns for the welfare of a man who lives at an address on the street. Upon police and ambulance arrival at a property, the body of a man was found. The man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after.”

Mr Hoare alleged in an interview given to the BBC that he had been personally asked by Andy Coulson, who was at the time Editor of the News of the World, to tap into phones.

In an interview given to the Guardian last week Mr Hoare said that it was his hope that the hacking scandal would result in a general clean-up of journalism in the UK.

Police are treating the death as unexplained, but not as suspicious. Police investigations into the death continue.

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