Security consultant Brian Tough was ordered to TAP PHONES of
unhappy managers and playersand even take SECRET FILM of England
legend Alan Shearer that could be used against him if he tried to
leave the club.
The spyon a £40,000 a year retainer plus cash bungs for top secret
operationsalso spills the beans on how he BUGGED:
Toonlegend Kevin Keegan's calls to his wife to see if he was
planning to quit as manager
Rival team Sunderland's chairman Bob Murrayto find out secret
plans for their new stadium
Ex-Government advisor Alaistair Balls, then a development
corporation chief working on funding for the Wearside club's
ground
The editor of a local newspaper because he'd run knocking stories
on the club, and even
The butler of 74-year-old Newcastle president Sir John Hall.
And in an explosive revelation that will incense loyal Toon fans,
Tough reveals how he was paid to SCUPPER a supporters' campaign to
stop the club taking 4,000 seats away from them for rich
clients.
In a shattering confession, Tough says: "At times I felt really bad
about it, especially when I spied on our own players and senior
staff. The players and fans would have gone mad if they had found
out what I was up to."
The bugging took place during the reign of disgraced Toon bosses
Freddie Shepherd and Douglas Hallboth caught by the News of the
World in a Spanish brothel ridiculing players and fans in 1999 in a
soccer scandal that became known as Toongate.
Last night Shepherdousted as Newcastle chairman in a summer
takeover by sports shops tycoon Mike AshleyADMITTED he found out
about 52-year-old Tough's phone tapping in 2004 after it
happened.
But the portly 65-year-oldwho walked away from Newcastle with £37
million and is believed to be considering buying into Leeds
Unitedsaid Toongate Two was nothing to do with him.
"Tough did make me aware of what he had done but I did not condone
it," he said. "I couldn't control what he did. He didn't work for
me. I had nothing to do with bugging anybody."
However he failed to pass this information about illegal activities
at his club onto police.
Tough was employed by former Newcastle vice-chairman Douglas, Sir
John's son, as a security consultant in 1994. He was paid through
Cameron Hall Developments. Douglas, 47, was the chairman of this
property development company, which had been set up by his Sir
John.
Toughwho doubled up as a bodyguard for Douglastold us: "I was the
man tasked with carrying out the dirty work. I personally arranged
bugging operations.
"I didn't do this off my own bat. I knew what I was being asked to
sort out was potentially illegal, but at the time I was just so
happy to be in with the club and so I went for it."
The price was £3,000 a time in cash for a phone tap to be placed on
a victim's lineplus a monitoring fee of around £500 a day.
"Any juicy tapes were immediately to be brought to my contact at
the club. I even played some of the tapes in boxes at St James'
Park," claimed Tough.
