Rebekah Brooks found not guilty in phone-hacking trial


Rebekah Brooks, the former head of Rupert Murdoch's newspapers in Britain, was acquitted this morning of four charges in a now-infamous phone-hacking trial. However, her deputy Andy Coulson, who was once head of communications for Prime Minister David Cameron, was found guilty of at least one charge for "conspiracy to intercept mobile phone calls and messages," The New York Times reports.
The jury reached its verdict after a week of deliberation and a 130-day trial. One of Murdoch's holdings, the tabloid News of the World, was closed because of the scandal.
Brooks and Coulson were two of seven defendants in the trial. While the remaining five, in addition to Brooks, were acquitted, the jury is considering further charges against Coulson for "paying police officers for access to royal telephone directories."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
Doom: The Dark Ages – an 'exhilarating' prequel
The Week Recommends Legendary shooter adds new combat options from timed parries to melee attacks and a 'particularly satisfying' shield charge
-
7 US cities to explore on a microtrip
The Week Recommends Not enough vacation days? No problem.
-
Sudoku medium: May 14, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read