Eight charged after phone-hacking at News of the World

It's been over a year since the News of the World published its last ever issue but the reasons behind the closure are still very much present. Today, eight people have been charged in relation to the newspaper's phone-hacking, as those of you with a Newsweek magazine subscription will be interested to know.

The eight journalists facing criminal charges are: Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson, Stuart Kuttner, Greg Miskew, Ian Edmondson, Neville Thurlbeck, James Weatherup and Glenn Mulcaire. All except Mulcaire have been charged with conspiring to intercept communications without lawful authority, whilst all eight have more charges relating to specific victims.

Rebekah Brooks and Andrew Coulson have also been charged "between 9 April 2002 and 21 April 2002 of conspiring together and with persons unknown to intercept communications in the course of their transmission, without lawful authority, namely the voicemail messages of Amanda Dowler, also known as Milly Dowler".

However, Brooks has since released a statement saying: " I am not guilty of these charges. I did not authorise, nor was I aware of, phone hacking under my editorship. I am distressed and angry that the CPS have reached this decision when they knew all the facts and were in a position to stop the case at this stage. The charge concerning Milly Dowler is particularly upsetting not only as it is untrue but also because I have spent my journalistic career campaigning for victims of crime. I will vigorously defend these allegations."

The eight people charged will be appearing at Westminster Magistrates Court on 16th August.

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Posted by Arabella Gibson.