In his first cross-examination on 6 February, Dacre admitted that the "Mail" had used the private detective Steve Whittamore, who was jailed in 2005 for illegally accessing information, but claimed that the rest of the British press had done so too. Peter Wright, now a former editor of "The Mail on Sunday", had said in his session that the Sunday paper continued using Whittamore for 18 months after his conviction, which Dacre effectively confirmed. Dacre said he banned the use of all "Whittamore inquiry agencies" in 2007. A suggestion from Dacre for a new "press card", to be supervised by a new body, received support from "The Independent" but was rejected by commentators and other interested parties.