Matthew Mellon, heir to a £6.6 billion banking and oil fortune, will appear in court next month in connection with an investigation into an alleged phone-tapping and computer hacking gang. The former husband of Tamara Mellon, who runs the Jimmy Choo shoe empire, will appear alongside 17 other defendants accused of involvement in the operation, which allegedly provided clients with confidential information about wealthy people and businesses.

Following a tip-off from BT, Scotland Yard has conducted a long investigation into a private detective agency run by a former policeman which it believed was bugging phone calls.