And so ginger gets off, a real travesty. -nfg-
Andy Coulson Convicted, Rebekah Brooks Acquitted In Phone Hacking Trial
The Huffington Post | By Jack Mirkinson
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Posted: 06/24/2014 7:04 am EDT Updated: 7 minutes ago
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In a dramatic ending to a months-long trial, former News of the World editor Andy Coulson was convicted of conspiring to hack phones, while Rebekah Brooks, another former editor and one of Rupert Murdoch's closest confidantes, was cleared of all charges.
Coulson's conviction represents a serious blow to Murdoch, but Brooks's acquittal is an equally major victory; she was a more pivotal player in his company, and was much more closely associated with him.
Coulson and another defendant, former News of the World reporter Clive Goodman, were still awaiting the verdicts on two other counts.
The verdict put immediate political pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron, who hired Coulson to be his communications director despite reports of his involvement in phone hacking while working for Murdoch. Coulson resigned from that post in early 2011 as the pressure over hacking increased. In a statement, Cameron said he was "profoundly sorry" for having hired Coulson.
"It was obviously wrong to employ him," he said. "I gave someone a second chance. It turned out to be a bad decision."
Brooks was reportedly so emotional at the verdict that she needed help in leaving the courtroom. She was cleared of four charges, including conspiring to hack phones, bribing public officials, and obstructing the investigation against her.
Her husband, Charlie, was also cleared of the charges against him, as were several other defendants.
The trial lasted from November until June. It was perhaps the most serious challenge to Murdoch's British interests since the scandal exploded in 2011.
Prosecutors portrayed Brooks, Coulson and their associates as active conspirators in the criminality going on at News International (now called News UK). The defendants denied every charge.
The court heard about everything from an alleged affair between Brooks and Coulson to Tony Blair's close relationship with the Murdoch empire.
Jurors clearly believed Brooks when she said she had been completely uninvolved in phone hacking, but did not believe Coulson.
In a statement, a spokesman for News UK said, "We said long ago, and repeat today, that wrongdoing occurred, and we apologized for it. We have been paying compensation to those affected and have cooperated with investigations." |
