Two Hackers & A Side Of Corruption Please!

The Rebekah Brooks Trial

Image courtesy of Gwydion M. Williams at Flickr

It is now a well-recognised fact that Rebekah Brooks, the former editor of the News of the World and four other defendants (including her husband and former members of staff) were recently cleared of several charges at the Old Bailey. It is not a surprise that the trial lasted around 138 days and that it was classed as one of the most expensive and lengthy police inquiries in criminal history (costing around £100 million!). Almost 150 detectives were drafted to work full time on the following three inquiries, which opened in the wake of phone hacking allegations:

1. Operation Weeting - this investigation looked specifically at voicemail interception at the News of the World.

2. Operation Elveden - this examined allegations of corruption between journalists and public officials.

3. Operation Tuleta - this observed allegations of computer hacking.

So what were the horrific charges that had the world talking?
Brooks was charged with offences such as; conspiracy to hack phones, conspiracy to corrupt public officials and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice - all of which she pleaded not guilty to and was found not guilty of, alongside her husband and colleagues.

Prior to Brooks's trial, five associates of the News of the World interestingly pleaded guilty to hacking charges:
Glen Mulcaire (Private Detective)
Neville Thurlbeck (Former Chief Reporter)
Greg Miskiw (Former News Editor)
James Weatherup (Senior Journalist)
Dan Evans (Reporter)
If her colleagues and associates were pleading guilty left, right and centre, how innocent is Brooks really?

The police force hunted for admissible, appropriate and sufficient evidence that may implicate Brooks and other newspaper figures. They gathered documents, such as emails from News International's Management and Standards Committee and contacted victims of the alleged phone hackings. Though, despite Brooks's acquittal, the police seemed to show no signs of abating their investigations, as they were reportedly planning to interview Rupert Murdoch (the News Corporation Chairman, or the devil himself - you decide) as a suspect.

The court heard witness speak of instances where Brooks authorised payments through emails to a Ministry of Defence official to obtain details of soldiers killed in action before they were officially released, whilst working for The Sun newspaper. Andrew Edis QC said "It really matters when [such detail] is released and how it was released to other people affected by it." My personal interest and concern, lies with the family and close friends of those soldiers who died and how they would feel about a price being placed upon the news of their beloved's death, merely to create a story for the public. The prosecution suggested that by behaving in such a way, Brooks was involved in a conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office and that she knew this.

Where is Brooks now and what next for her future?
She could have faced a very lengthy prison sentence, a ruined reputation and financial difficulty, but with a good friend like PM David Cameron, was this really going to happen? Brooks has now stated that she will spend more time parenting her daughter, Scarlett. Since resigning from the News of the World, Brooks received a staggering £16.1m pay-off. According to a colleague who knows her well "Rupert [Murdoch] will not allow her to slip into poverty" - the pair remained very close during their legal troubles.

The Andy Coulson Trial

Image courtesy of Ninian Reid at Flickr

Andy Coulson, former deputy to Brooks and editor of the News of the World (between 2003 - 2007) was conversely found guilty of one charge of conspiracy to hack voicemails. The pair found themselves in an affair for 6 years, which was revealed in court.

Coulson was found guilty of being involved in the conspiracy to intercept the voicemails of many celebrities, royals, politicians and ordinary members of society when he was editor. The prosecution said that due to the scale of the hacking events whilst he was editor of the News of the World, he must have known about the scandal and the jury seemed to agree with this.

Subsequently after Coulson's conviction, PM David Cameron apologised for hiring him as his director of communications. He said that bringing Coulson to Downing Street was the "wrong decision". Ed Miliband had said that Cameron had "brought a criminal into the heart of Downing Street" and his government was "tainted" as a result. Undoubtedly, this brings Cameron's judgement and logical reasoning into question by the public. It is clear and expected that Miliband, of the opposing party, would comment in such a way regarding the situation, but I cannot stop myself from wondering whether Cameron knew about the scandals and if so, how much he knew about it all. Did he know that members of the public were being violated and let it happen?

After the jury found Coulson guilty, he was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment (out of a possible maximum of 2 years). However, as reported so largely by the media, it is known that he served less than 5 months of this and was released. Coulson was subject to an open prison in Suffolk called Hollesley Bay after being moved from HMP Belmarsh in South East London. It is understood that he is now to wear an electronic tag until he has served half of his full 18 month sentence as a condition of his early release.

The Ministry of Justice has denied any comment on this case, but has said that prisoners could be released under home detention curfew arrangements. A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said "Public protection is our first priority. Only prisoners who pass a strict risk assessment can be released on HDC [home detention curfew]." Many people have experienced outrage at the outcome of these trials - the fact that Brooks was found not guilty and that Coulson was released after having served less than half of his sentence. Though some victims and victims' families had fairly positive words to say. Milly Dowler's parents said they were pleased that the case had led to a debate about press ethics. The investigation seems to have enlightened the public on the relationships between particular sectors within our society - politics and media.

Image courtesy of Gwydion M. Williams at Flickr

"Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets." - Napoléon I