Andy Coulson faces retrial on some charges after phone hacking case

LONDON: -- 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.

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.

The retrial was announced Monday at the start of a sentencing hearing for Coulson, who was convicted last week of other phone hacking charges.

The jury in that case failed to reach a decision on two of the charges against Coulson — a former top aide to Prime Minister David Cameron — and Goodman.

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.

Full story: http://www.news.com.au/world/andy-coulson-faces-retrial-on-some-charges-after-phone-hacking-case/story-fndir2ev-1226972832644


-- News.com.au 2014-06-30

If you have the chance, take a look at BBC program Panorama covering that whole hacking affair. Makes Watergate coverup look like "open and transparent" by comparison.