Leveson inquiry: Union leader Crow tells of harassment by newspapers

RMT leader Bob Crow outside the Leveson Inquiry yesterday (Rex Features)

Bob Crow, the rail union leader, yesterday told the Leveson Inquiry about his decade of "harassment" by the media.

Mr Crow, general secretary of the RMT, told the inquiry that his travel details had been blagged from the DVLA driving database by the convicted private investigator, Steve Whittamore. The information was passed to the Mail on Sunday, which ran a story about a scooter ride given to Mr Crow during a partial closure of London's underground network.

He said it was "strange" that a photographer was outside his house to photograph him as he set off, driven by his personal assistant, but that he had no proof his phone was hacked to get details of their arrangements.

He disputed the assurance recently made to the inquiry by the Sunday Times editor, John Witherow, that his paper did not engage in "fishing trips".

"But they certainly go on refuse trips," Mr Crow said, claiming that a Sunday Times freelancer searched bins outside an RMT annual meeting, and resembled the cartoon feline Top Cat with his head in the bin.