Thread: Phone Hacking scandal snowballs

I hope that c**t Brooks goes down, I really do.

Phone hacking: Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks charged






David Cameron's former spin man Andy Coulson, and former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks

Martin Bentham and Tom Harper

24 July 2012

Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks were today charged over the hacking of murdered Milly Dowler’s voicemail.

They were among eight suspects charged with hacking offences involving 600 alleged victims including David Blunkett when home secretary, Sienna Miller, Paul McCartney and his ex-wife Heather Mills. Other alleged targets include Sven-Goran Eriksson, Wayne Rooney and John Prescott.
Former News of the World editor Coulson was charged with five counts of conspiring to unlawfully intercept voicemails and Brooks, ex-head of News International, with three. The charges will raise fresh questions about the Prime Minister’s decision to hire Mr Coulson as his No 10 spin doctor after he had resigned from the newspaper in the wake of the phone hacking allegations,.
The others facing charges are former NoW employess Stuart Kuttner, Greg Miskiw, Ian Edmondson, Neville Thurlbeck, James Weatherup and private the investigator Glenn Mulcaire.
The Crown Prosecution Service’s Alison Levitt said prosecutors believed that there was sufficient evidence for “a realistic prospect” of convictions in each case and that charges were in the public interest.
She added: “They will face a total of nineteen charges in all. The police intend to contact all the victims who will then be told that their names appear on the indictment. Once all have been informed the full list of those whom the prosecution says were victims will be made available.
“May I remind all concerned that these individuals now will be charged with criminal offences and that each has a right to a fair trial. It is very important that nothing is said, or reported, which could prejudice that trial.”
A list of the charges published by prosecutors names the victims allegedly targeted by Coulson as Milly Dowler, Mr Blunkett, former home sceretary Charles Clarke and George Best’s son Calum.
Brooks is alleged to have conspired to hack the phone of Milly Dowler and the fire union chief Andy Gilchrist.
The charges relate to the alleged hacking of voicemails without lawful authority between October 2000 and August 2006. Mulcaire is charged with four separate offences relating to a different period.
Today’s charges come 18 months after Scotland Yard resumed its investigations into phone hacking by launching Operation Weeting. The move was prompted by a legal claim brought by Miller which forced Rupert Murdoch’s media empire to disclose key evidence that suggested phone hacking at the News of the World was more extensive than had been claimed when charges
The information was passed to the Metropolitan Police which decided it could no longer refuse to investigate News International. Since then 24 people, including 15 current and former journalists, have been arrested. The investigation gathered pace last July after it emerged that the News of the World hacked into the voicemails of Milly Dowler, 13, when she was missing in 2002.
One key factor behind today’s announcements is a decision by Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer to use a wider interpretation of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, which covers hacking offences.
The Met had insisted that during the first phone hacking investigations, which led to two convictions in 2006, the legislation allowed charges to brought only in cases where it could be proved that a voicemail had been hacked before being listened to by the intended recipient.
Mr Starmer has since decided that prosecutions can be mounted even if the voicemail had been listened to by the recipient. This means that it has been easier to construct cases against the alleged offenders, although the validity of this interpretation will have to be tested in court.
The huge scope of the police inquiry has faced criticism for diverting police resources away from tackling more serious crimes. London deputy mayor Kit Malthouse told the Leveson Inquiry that the cost of investigations into phone hacking and other alleged illegality would rise to £40 million and tie up 200 police officers.
Brooks, who was editor of the News of the World and The Sun before being promoted to the role of News International chief executive, has already been charged with perverting the course of justice over the phone hacking inquiry.
Her husband Charlie, three of her staff and News International head of security Mark Hanna have also been charged with the same offence over an alleged attempt to “conceal material” from police last July. Brooks faces two other charges relating to her alleged conduct during the same month.
Brooks released a statement today saying she was “distressed and angry” by the decision to charge her. She said: “I am not guilty of these charges. I did not authorise, nor was I aware of, phone hacking under my editorship. The charge concerning Milly Dowler is particularly upsetting.”

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

I hope that c**t Brooks goes down, I really do.

Think she already has but not in the criminal sense.

She along with a bunch of others should go down. Including the politicians who sold out to the media.

^ Let's not forget the coppers. Don't see a lot of them on their "list".

With Andy Coulson now charged the PM David Cameron must be sitting rather uncomfortably atm.

His inappropriate relationship with Rebecca Brookes may now get a further airing during this court case which i suspect may embarass him further. A resignation in the making i wonder?

this shit has probably been going on for decades.
what is the relationship between
the police, the media and the politicans.

i see john major and missus, gordon brown and missus being invited to
10 downing st.
for whatever i wonder, what ?
family get togethers .

Prime Minister's Jooblie party I believe. Thatcher was too ill to attend.

Maybe that state funeral is nearer than we think.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Prime Minister's Jooblie party I believe

thought this occurred 3 or 4 days ago.

both being former chanc. of excheq.

no worries.

John Major and Gordon Brown are both ex-PM's aren't they?

yes they were also PM's.

fony blair would have got the cold shoulder then.

Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson WILL face court over 'making payments to public officials': Four News International staff to be charged with conspir

Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson to face charges over alleged payments to public officials | Mail Online

Now it's the mirror as well

'Supergrass' takes hacking scandal into new territory - Crime - UK - The Independent

Evidence from a “supergrass” is understood to have prompted today’s arrests of the former Sunday Mirror editor Tina Weaver and three other executives from the Mirror Group on suspicion of phone hacking.
An insider with knowledge of the workings of a number of tabloid titles is thought to have handed the Metropolitan Police significant new information about the Sunday Mirror and the News of the World.

The first trial from the phone-hacking scandal that sank Rupert Murdoch's News of the World opens in Britain on Monday with his key aide Rebekah Brooks and the prime minister's former media chief Andy Coulson among the defendants.

UK's phone-hacking trial to start

Phone hacking trial:

Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson appear at Old Bailey
Monday 28 Oct 2013


Andy Coulson and former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks begin their trial at the Old Bailey
(Picture: PA)

Former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks and former News of the World editor Andy Coulson are appearing at the Old Bailey to begin their phone hacking trial.

The pair are accused of conspiracy to intercept communications in the course of their transmission, and will also face charges of alleged corrupt payments to public officials and police.

In a trial that is expected to last more than five months, Brooks and Coulson, both 45, deny conspiring with former NOTW journalist Ian Edmonson and the paper’s ex-managing editor Stuart Kuttner to illegally access voicemails between 2000 and 2006.

Brooks is also charged with two counts of conspiring to pervert the course of justice – one which is shared with her former personal assistant Cheryl Carter, 49.


Mark Hanna, former head of security at News International, will face allegations that he helped to conspire in the removal of items from its office
(Picture: Getty)

For this count it is alleged that they conspired to remove seven boxes of material from the News International archive.

In the second count, Brooks is alleged to have acted with her husband Charles and former head of security at the company, Mark Hanna, in an attempt to conceal documents, computers and other electronic equipment from investigating officers.

Coulson, David Cameron’s former communications director, is also facing two counts of conspiring to commit misconduct in public office.

The tabloid’s former royal editor Clive Goodman, 56, also faces the charges.

metro.co.uk

wonder if they'll bring charges to the spooks in charge of gchq .
if america tapped 70 million in france and 60 million in spain in 1 month
then how many has gchq tapped into in the uk ?
an orgy of spying, all sharing the same bed.
to serve who ?

Hacking trial: Coulson guilty, Brooks cleared of charges



Tom Symonds looks at the background to the trial of Coulson (left) and Rebekah Brooks

Related Stories

• Phone-hacking trial updates Live
• Cameron apologises over Coulson
• Prison for Coulson, questions for Cameron

Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson has been found guilty of conspiracy to hack phones.

His predecessor Rebekah Brooks was cleared of all charges in the phone-hacking trial.

Coulson went on to become director of communications for the prime minister, who has apologised and said hiring him was "the wrong decision".

Royals, celebrities and victims of crime were among those whose phones were hacked by the News of the World.

The paper was closed by its parent company, News International, in July 2011 after it emerged that it had instructed a private investigator to intercept - or "hack" - voicemails left on the mobile phone of murdered Surrey teenager Milly Dowler in 2002.

Coulson and former News International chief executive Mrs Brooks were among seven defendants on trial at the Old Bailey.

The verdicts in full are:

• Andy Coulson was found guilty of a charge of conspiracy to intercept voicemails
• Mrs Brooks was found not guilty of conspiracy to hack voicemails, two counts of conspiracy to pay public officials and two counts of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice
• Former News of the World managing editor Stuart Kuttner was found not guilty of conspiring to hack voicemails
• Cheryl Carter, Charlie Brooks and News International's former head of security Mark Hanna were cleared of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice

The jury is continuing to consider misconduct in public office charges against Coulson and former News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman.
Who are the defendants?

• Read profiles of the defendants

An emotional Mrs Brooks had to be taken away by the court matron on hearing the verdicts.

BBC political correspondent Robin Brant was in court as the verdicts were read out on the 138th day of the trial.

He said Coulson - who was News of the World editor from 2003-07 then worked for the Conservative Party from 2007 and became the PM's director of communications after the 2010 election - stood with his hands behind his back and showed no emotion.

Mrs Brooks appeared to mouth "thank you" to the jury and also held the hand of her former personal assistant Cheryl Carter, who looked close to tears.


Rebekah and Charlie Brooks were cleared on the 138th day of the trial



Mrs Brooks held hands with her former personal assistant Cheryl Carter in court

Charlie Brooks, the husband of the former News International chief executive, also showed little emotion, our correspondent said.

The conspiracy to pervert the course of justice charges against Mr and Mrs Brooks, Ms Carter and Mr Hanna related to July 2011.

Mrs Brooks was accused of retrieving boxes, with the help of Ms Carter, from the News International archive relating to her time as editor of the News of the World and the Sun.

She was also accused, along with her husband and Mr Hanna, of hiding personal computers from the police


BBC News - Hacking trial: Coulson guilty, Brooks cleared of charges

Police now want to have a chat with Rupert.
Maybe Coulson has panicked and wants to spill the beans before sentencing.

Coulson just got acquitted of perjury.

some quirk in Scotlands legal system.

whatsisname must be well pissed off.

most i think believed he would go down.

Originally Posted by billy the kid

some quirk in Scotlands legal system.

For any interested parties seeking to get out of a perjury charge:

HMA V COULSON: SCOTTISH CROWN SABOTAGES ITS OWN PROSECUTION | TOMMY'S LAWYER

The 3 monkeys, no speak, no hear and no see.

Infallible ?

Piers Morgan says it's "inexplicable" that claims made about him weren't challenged in court.

Au contraire, I think it's quite explicable, obnoxious, lying little toerag that he is.

1. Piers Morgan has denied telling anyone to hack a phone, after a judge ruled he was involved with the practice while editing the Daily Mirror
2. In a statement, he says it's inexplicable that claims made about him weren't challenged in court by lawyers representing the paper's publisher
3. Earlier, a High Court ruled that Prince Harry was the victim of phone hacking by Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) - and awarded him £140,600 in damages
   
   Hacking trial: Piers Morgan denies hacking after judge rules Harry was Mirror victim - BBC News