Phone hacking trial: Coulson faces retrial on bribery charges

Andy Coulson, a former top aide to British Prime Minister David Cameron, will face a retrial on some of the charges in his phone-hacking trial, prosecutors say.

andy_coulson_getty.jpg

Former News of the World editor and Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson leaves the Old Bailey on June 24, 2014 in London. (Getty)

Coulson, former editor of the Rupert Murdoch-owned News of the World tabloid, is to be tried again on charges of conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office by paying a police officer for royal directories.

Jurors at London's Old Bailey last week convicted him of one charge of illegally accessing voicemails but failed to reach a verdict on the other charges.

His co-defendant, Rebekah Brooks, another former News of the World editor who went on to head the British arm of Murdoch's operation, was cleared of all charges.

Coulson was Cameron's director of communications between 2007 and 2011, a job he took after resigning from the News of the World.

He also quit Downing Street over the allegations and Cameron last week apologised for hiring him.

The phone-hacking trial was one of the most expensive in English legal history, spotlighting the close ties between the Murdoch empire and politicians and the no-holds-barred methods of Britain's tabloid press.

Clive Goodman, the News of the World's one-time royal editor, will also face a retrial on the same charges as Coulson.


Share

1 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AFP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world