BY: MEGAN FAROKHMANESH

ANCHOR ALLIE SPILLYARDS

 

You're watching multisource world video news analysis from Newsy.

 

 

Add another head to the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. Metropolitan police commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson announced his resignation Sunday. 

The BBC has his statement:

 

 

“I have this afternoon informed the Palace, Home Secretary and the Mayor of my intention to resign as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service...I have no knowledge of, or involvement in, the original investigation into phone hacking in 2006 that successfully led to the conviction and imprisonment of two men. “

 

 

Stephenson came under fire for his connection to key players in the scandal -- as well as allegations of police bribery The Sydney Morning Herald reports...

 

 

“He has been criticized for hiring Neil Wallis, a former News of the World executive editor arrested last week in the scandal, as a part-time PR consultant for a year until September 2010."

 

 

Adding to that -- mounting questions over his acceptance of a £12,000 spa stay -- for free.

 

 

Those criticisms did not go unheard. In his statement, Sir Paul admitted:

 

 

“I’ve taken this decision as a consequence of the ongoing speculation and accusations relating to the Met’s links with News International at a senior level and in particular, with relation to Mr. Neil Wallis, who as you know was arrested as part of Operation Weeting last week.”

 

 

The news came as a shock to a writer for the Londonist, who says -- looks like the flood gates are opening.

 

 

“If you’d asked us at the start of the week whether this was likely, we’d have laughed... But if the phone hacking scandal is like a leaky ceiling, it’s one that’s had an irritating drip ... for a few years that you could ignore, but in the last couple of weeks water has come pouring in torrents.”

 

 

Sir Paul’s resignation came only hours after the arrest of former News International Chief Executive Rebekah Brooks. 

 

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Transcript by Newsy.