BRITAIN’S SUPREME Court says a private investigator must reveal who ordered him to hack mobile phone voicemails on behalf of a tabloid newspaper.

Glenn Mulcaire was jailed briefly in 2007 for eavesdropping on the phone messages of royal aides on behalf of the now-defunct News of the World.

Actor Steve Coogan is suing Mulcaire and Rupert Murdoch’s News International after being told his phones had been hacked and wants Mulcaire to provide evidence for his case. News of the World was part of Murdoch’s media empire.

Mulcaire attempted to refuse under laws that prevent self-incrimination, but the country’s highest court ruled today that he must hand over the information.

Fresh allegations of phone hacking involving the abducted child Millie Dowler led to the closure of the News of the World almost a year ago. It also led to a police investigation and the launch of a public inquiry into the ethics of British media and their engagement with politicians.

The Leveson Inquiry has been hearing evidence from celebrities, newspaper editors, journalists and politicians including Prime Minister David Cameron.

- Additional reporting by Susan Ryan