SCOTLAND YARD IN London loaned a police horse to former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks for two years, it has been revealed.
The former chief executive of News International kept the retired horse at her farm between 2008 and 2010 before it was re-housed with a police officer.
The Metropolitan police have said that retiring police horses are often offered to “suitable” retirement homes.
Brooks had responsibility for feeding the animal and paying vet bills but the animal remained the property of the Metropolitan police.
The revelation in today’s Evening Standard newspaper is particularly noteworthy as it coincides with the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics beginning its inquiries into the relationship between police and the media.
News International newspapers have been criticised for their ties to the police. Yesterday a senior police officer told the inquiry that The Sun newspaper had a culture of making illegal payments to public officials in return for stories.
Brooks was forced to resign as chief executive of News International last year as a result of the phone hacking scandal.
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