Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Murdoch insider charged in phone hacking probe

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Rebekah Brooks faces conspiracy charges
  • Prosecutors accuse Rebekah Brooks of hiding documents and computers from police
  • Five others, including her husband, also face charges
  • A Brooks spokesman says prosecutors are "posturing"
  • The charges are the first in connection with a police phone-hacking investigation

London (CNN) -- British prosecutors said Tuesday they would charge Rebekah Brooks with trying to obstruct a police investigation into phone hacking at newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch.

Brooks, a former editor of the News of the World, is accused of plotting to remove boxes of documents from News International offices and hide computers and documents from police.

Her husband, personal assistant and driver will also be charged, along with one of her security guards and the head of security for News International, the News Corp. subsidiary that publishes Murdoch's British newspapers.

Brooks faces three counts of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Her husband Charles and the other suspects face two counts each of the same charge.

A spokesman for Brooks said she and her husband "deplore this weak and unjust decision," and accused prosecutors of "unprecedented posturing." Spokesman David Wilson said there would be a fuller statement later.

Brooks and the others named Tuesday are the first people to be charged in connection with the British police investigation into phone hacking and police bribery, which has been going on for more than a year.