Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson amongst eight people facing phone hacking charges
Former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks and the Prime Minister’s ex-head of communications Andy Coulson are amongst eight people facing a total of 19 charges related to phone hacking.
Seven are charged with conspiring to intercept communications between 13 October 2001 and 9 August 2006. Brooks will face two charges, one of which related to the alleged accessing of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler’s phone messages. Coulson also faces charges in relation to hacking into Milly’s phone, the revelation which ultimately saw the closure of the News of the World last July.
The Crown Prosecution Service has also confirmed that others facing charges are former News of the World managing editor Stuart Kuttner, former news editor Greg Miskiw, former assistant editor Ian Edmondson, former chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck, former assistant editor James Weatherup and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire.
Glen Mulcaire is the only suspect not to be charged with conspiring to intercept communications, in total 13 files were passed to the CPS but no further action is to be taken against five others. Prosecutors will allege more than 600 people were victims of this offence and CPS legal advisor Alison Levitt QC has said there is a “realistic prospect of conviction.”