A former tabloid reporter who was one of the whistleblowers in the British phone-hacking scandal has been found dead, The Guardian reports.

The newspaper identified him as Sean Hoare, a former show biz reporter for the now-defunct News of the World.

The BBC is also reporting Hoare's death.

He was the first named journalist to allege that former News of the World editor Andy Coulson, who later became Prime Minster David Cameron's communications director, was aware of the phone-hacking by his staff.

Coulson, who later resigned his government post, was arrested last week in connection with the scandal.

The newspaper says it "has learned" that Hoare, who worked on the Sun and the News of the World with Coulson before being dismissed for drink and drugs problems, was found dead at his home in Watford.

Here is how the Guardian described some of Hoare's revelations on the scandal:

He told the newspaper that not only did Coulson know of the phone hacking, but that he actively encouraged his staff to intercept the phone calls of celebrities in the pursuit of exclusives. In a subsequent interview with the BBC he alleged that he was personally asked by his then-editor, Coulson, to tap into phones. In an interview with the PM programme he said Coulson's insistence that he didn't know about the practice was 'a lie, it is simply a lie.'

The Guardian says Hertfordshire police would not confirm Hoare's identity, saying only that police, called to his home scene, found the man dead.

"The death is currently being treated as unexplained, but not thought to be suspicious," the police said. "Police investigations into this incident are ongoing."