News of the World: police watchdog investigates Milly Dowler leak

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Source: The Guardian

The police watchdog is investigating an allegation that a Surrey police officer gave information about the Milly Dowler murder investigation to the News of the World.

On Friday the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said it was investigating the claim following a voluntary referral from the force about an allegation that an officer gave information to the newspaper in relation to the investigation into Dowler's murder in 2002.

"An IPCC deputy senior investigator has been over at Surrey police this morning to get more information about the case and will be writing to the Dowler family, via their solicitors at their request, this afternoon and offering to meet to give them more detail," the commission said. "Until then, it would not be appropriate for us to make any further detail public."

The Guardian understands that the allegations relate to the early stages of the investigation into Dowler's disappearance.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/aug/12/police-milly-dowler