Former News of the World Editor Rebekah Brooks has been cleared of all charges relating to the phone hacking conspiracy at the Old Bailey today. Former tabloid editor Andy Coulson, on the other hand, has been convicted of conspiring to hack phones.
Former editors Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, along with retired managing editor Stuart Kuttner, were accused of being part of a conspiracy which dated back to the year 2000 and apparently continued for six years.
Eight women and three men of the jury have been listening to evidence in Court 12 of the Old Bailey for the past seven months. The jury has been considering its verdict since last Wednesday afternoon.
Coulson, who used to work for No. 10 Downing Street, was also accused of conspiring with former Royal editor Clive Goodman to “commit misconduct by paying police officers for two royal directories.”
Brooks on the other hand was accused of plotting with her assistant to pervert the course of justice by removing evidence before she was arrested. She was also accused, along with her husband and NI director of security, of perverting the course of justice by hiding or desroying potential evidence.
All parties had denied the charges. Rebekah Brooks was cleared of all charges involving phone hacking, corrupt payments & conspiracy.
The jury have retired again to consider the verdicts on the charge that Andy Coulson and Clive Goodman paid police for royal phone books, according to BBC News.
