Rebekah Brooks to Be Charged in Phone Hacking Scandal

Reuters
Dashiell Bennett 311 Views May 15, 2012

Former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks and her husband, Charlie, will be charged with the dastardly sounding offense of "perverting the course of justice" during the investigation of News Corp's. still ongoing phone hacking scandal. Five other News International employees will also be charged over attempts to delete emails and destroy other evidence after finding out they were being targeted by Metropolitan police. Together, they will be the first people to formally face criminal charges after more than 18 months of police and parliamentary investigations, proving once again that the cover up is always worse than the crime itself.

In a statement released after learning of the charges, the Brooks' said "We deplore this weak and unjust decision" and accused authorities of "posturing." The maximum sentence possible for the charges is life in prison, but those who are convicted typically face around three years of jail time.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at dbennett at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.

Related Articles   More by Dashiell Bennett
Former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks and her husband Charlie Brooks leave Westminster Magistrates' Court in London June 13, 2012.

Rebekah Brooks, Seven Others To Be Charged in Phone Hacking Scandal

News of the World Also Spied on Its Victims' Lawyers

News of the World Staff Sneakily Mocks CEO in Crossword Puzzle

 

The Three Sentences in the Fed Announcement That Matter

Pope John Paul II looks at a white dove freed at the end of the Angelus prayer in St. Peter's square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005.

New Miracle Brings Pope John Paul II Steps Away from Sainthood

Elsewhere on the Web

User Comments

Please type your comment and click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be prompted to log in or register

  • The Atlantic Wire on Twitter
  • The Atlantic Wire RSS Feed
  • The Atlantic Wire iPhone App