The family of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler today met Labour leader Ed Miliband, to discuss allegations their daughter’s phone was hacked by the News of the World.

Parents Bob and Sally Dowler, and Milly’s older sister Gemma, told Mr Miliband about how they had suffered during the trial of Levi Bellfield, being forced by the defence to give intimate details of their family life in court.

They said they felt they were being treated like suspects, not victims.

Last month, Bellfield was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of Milly’s murder.

Also present at the meeting were members of the Hacked Off campaign, a group representing victims of hacking.

After the meeting, Mr Miliband said he had been “incredibly moved” by meeting the Dowlers, with whom he further discussed the treatment of families of victims in legal trials.

They also talked about Prime Minister David Cameron’s plans for inquiries into hacking and media standards, ahead of their meeting with the Prime Minister tomorrow.

Earlier this week, the Dowlers called for former editor of the News of World, Rebekah Brooks, to step down from her current job as chief executive of News International.

The News of the World, which was published by News International, closed down after its edition on Sunday, July 10, days after the allegations emerged Milly's phone messages were hacked after her disappearance in Walton in 2002.

Miss Brooks was editor of the paper at the time the hacking happened.

It was also claimed a private detective working for the paper deleted messages, giving the family false hope the 13-year-old was alive.

Miss Brooks has reportedly offered her resignation twice since the allegations first appeared in the Guardian newspaper, only for the offers to be turned down by Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News International’s parent company News Corporation.