Richard Desmond's Express Newspapers continued using convicted private investigator Steve Whittamore until as late as July 2010, the Leveson Inquiry heard this morning.

The company's legal chief Nicole Patterson was also unable to say whether Express Newspapers still employs the service of Whittamore, who was found guilty of obtaining and disclosing information under the Data Protection Act in 2005.

The inquiry heard that an internal audit found the last invoice for Whittamore's company JJ Services was dated 31 July 2010, while the earliest invoice was from 31 January 2005 - nine months after he received a conditional discharge at Southwark Crown Court.

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