British Prosecutors Consider Charges in Phone Hacking Case (News Corp)

[alp227]

Source: NY Times

The wide-ranging police inquiry into phone hacking and other wrongdoing at Rupert Murdoch's tabloid newspapers moved a step closer to possible criminal prosecutions on Wednesday when Scotland Yard sent files on 11 unidentified people, including four journalists and a police officer, to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Under Britain's judicial system, criminal charges are drawn up by the Crown Prosecution Service on the basis of evidence gathered by the police. A spokeswoman for the service said that the names of those now being considered for prosecution would not be released, and that the service could not say when it would take the next step, deciding whether to prosecute those involved or not.

A statement from the prosecution service listed the offenses covered by the police files as including misconduct in public office and breaches of the Data Protection Act, involving one journalist and one police officer; perverting the course of justice, involving one journalist and "six other members of the public"; and witness intimidation and harassment, involving one journalist.

The statement's list of offenses under review also included breaches of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, a broad statute that regulates the powers of public bodies to carry out surveillance and investigation, and to intercept communications, involving one journalist.

Read more: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/world/europe/british-prosecutors-consider-charges-in-phone-hacking-case.xml

[Smilo]

1. I wonder if Cameron is included n/t

[dipsydoodle]

2. You changed the headline by adding News Corp

At present nobody knows exactly who those arrests refer too as the Guardian article makes clear.

Phone hacking: police refer 11 cases to prosecutors.

Scotland Yard has referred the cases of four journalists to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider potential prosecutions.

The journalists are among 11 suspects, who also include one police officer, whose cases are being considered, the director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer, said.

Starmer would not name the four journalists or the titles they were connected with, but he listed the four files individually.

Starmer also said that the four journalists in the files may not be among the 43 people who had been arrested by the police in relation to operations regarding phone or email hacking or corrupt payments to public officials.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/apr/18/phone-hacking-police-refer-journalists

[alp227]

3. Read the NYT article. Cases deal w/Murdoch-owned properties.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Where does it say that. ?

I can't find any such reference in the NYT article.

[alp227]

5. the lead

"The wide-ranging police inquiry into phone hacking and other wrongdoing at Rupert Murdoch's tabloid newspapers..."

[dipsydoodle]

6. The NEWS is the four files on 11 persons unknown being passed to the CPS

Last edited Wed Apr 18, 2012, 02:57 PM - Edit history (3)

Most of the rest is recap. The most significant information in both that and the Guardian's piece is actually the "public interest" aspect.

It would seem that 2 of the 11 are Rebekah Brooks of News International and Amelia Hill of the Guardian.