Neville Thurlbeck

News of the World chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck describes himself as "very unsociable" for a Fleet Street hack.  Yesterday he went voluntarily to Kingston Police Station where he was arrested for six hours, in connection with allegations of intercepting phone messages, and then released until September.

Neville met his wife Estelle at school, and they both appear to have gone to Lancaster University for a degree in English and Theatre Studies. There's less information about what happened next - Estelle boasts NCTJ qualifications, which suggests a spell in papers - but now works as a counsellor from the family home in Hinchley Wood, and in Wimpole Street and "the media industry". 

I haven't found Neville's route to the News of The World, but he's tremendously loyal to Lancaster University, back there just last February, talking about "Working in journalism" (he's still on the NotW payroll) and "including anecdotes/dispelling tabloid myths etc".

In 1998, Neville's investigations "outed" Nick Brown; in the same issue, Neville explained why he'd ended up naked on camera in a sting on a Dorset couple he suspected of offering sexual services for money. "As the Chief Crime Reporter at the News of the World, I have to operate at the very sharpest end of journalism to bring our readers the stories of crime, vice and deceit amongst the great and the good or the lowest of the low".  At this stage in his career, fearless Neville was using the byline "Jack Tunstall" for this particular sharp end of journalism.  The story was referred to in the Commons in June 1999 when MP George Galloway described how Thurlbeck had "bribed Bob and Sue into allowing him to indulge in a rather pathetic act of onanism at the foot of their bed".  Writer Peter Burden now gives Neville the nickname "Onan the Barbarian".

In 1999, Neville had the story of Lord Archer's "false alibi", brought to the paper by Max Clifford, which eventually led to jail for Jeffrey for perjury.  Neville recorded telephone conversations between Ted Francis and the good Lord.

In July 2000, Neville Thurlbeck was cleared of having a corrupt relationship with a detective working in the National Criminal Intelligence Service - the judge agreed that information had been exchanged, but it wasn't clear that it was "for reward".

In April 2004, Neville had the story of texts between Rebecca Loos and David Beckham."To produce the Beckham story, I had to find every piece of the jigsaw. People supplied me with evidence in terms of telephone numbers, Sim cards, text messages..."  Later that month he had another lead, thanks to "thousands of texts" shown to him by an Australian model, who was paid. Despite access to the mobile phone number of Becks, he didn't feel the need to call him to check. And in July, Neville had the story of Faria Alam, Sven Goran Eriksson, Mark Palios and hanky-panky at the FA.   Then, in August, Neville was the first to reveal details of David Blunkett's affair with Kimberley Quinn.

In 2005, an Evening Standard interview with Andy Coulson, on NotW scoops and awards, by David Rowan, suddenly features Neville Thurlbeck.

In 2006, Neville "outed" Mark Oaten.

In July 2008, Mr Justice Eady described Neville's evidence as "erratic and changeable", and awarded Max Mosley £60,000 damages for the News of The World story which made false claims about an alleged "sick Nazi orgy".  The judge also took time to critique Neville's journalistic techniques in his final statement.