London police say mother of another murdered girl may have been targeted by News of the World

First it was Milly Dowler, the 13-year-old girl who was abducted in 2002 and later found dead.

Now there appears to be evidence that News of the World may have hacked a phone belonging to Sara Payne, whose eight-year-old daughter--Sarah--was murdered in 2000.

Police disclosed to Payne earlier this week that her mobile phone number was contained in the notes turned over to them by Glenn Mulcaire, the former News of the World private investigator at the center of the phone hacking case.

What's worse, the phone in question had apparently been given to Payne by News of the World, as part of its support for the family and a charity launched in Sarah Payne's honor.

According to the Guardian, police had originally told Payne that her name was not contained in Mulcaire's notes. That assurance was enough for Payne--who former News International chief called a "dear friend"--to write a farewell column in the paper's final edition. In it, Payne referred to NOTW staffers as "trusted friends," and dismissed "rumors" that she had been a victim of the paper's phone hacking, just like the Dowler family.

"We have all seen the news this week and the terrible things that have happened, and I have no wish to sweep it under the carpet," Payne wrote. "Indeed, there were rumours--which turned out to be untrue--that I and my fellow Phoenix charity chiefs had our phones hacked. But today is a day to reflect, to look back and remember the passing of an old friend, the News of the World."

Phoenix Chief Advocates, the charity co-run by Payne, said, "Sara is absolutely devastated by this news, we're all deeply disappointed and are just working to get her through it. Sara will continue to work with the proper authorities regarding this matter."

One of Parliament's most outspoken critics of News International and the Murdoch family, Tom Watson, is understandably furious.

"This is a new low," Watson said Thursday. "The last edition of the News of the World made great play of the paper's relationship with the Payne family. Brooks talked about it at the committee inquiry. Now this. I have nothing but contempt for the people that did this."

In a statement to the Guardian, Brooks called the new allegations "abhorrent," but denied responsibility.

"The idea that anyone on the newspaper knew that Sara or the campaign team were targeted by Mr. Mulcaire is unthinkable," Brooks added. "The idea of her being targeted is beyond my comprehension. It is imperative for Sara and the other victims of crime that these allegations are investigated and those culpable brought to justice."

Meanwhile, News Corp. deputy COO James Murdoch--who, like Brooks, denied knowledge of phone hacking in his testimony to Parliament last week--received unanimous support from the board of directors of BSkyB, the satellite broadcaster partially owned by News Corp. and where Murdoch serves as chairman.