The first top editor from Rupert Murdoch's U.K. tabloids to face criminal charges related to the that has rocked his media empire is Rebekah Brooks, who prosecutors allege tried to "pervert the course of justice" last year by seeking to cover up what had been going on at Murdoch's °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ of the World.
As NPR's Philip Reeves reminds our °µºÚ±¬ÁÏcast Desk, before resigning from the company last summer after the scandal broke, Brooks was chief executive at °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ International, which runs Murdoch's British newspapers. She also in the past was editor of °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ of the World.
°µºÚ±¬ÁÏ of the charges against her — three separate allegations that carry maximum sentences of live imprisonment — .
Even before the announcement, Brooks and her husband (who also faces charges related to the alleged coverup) were attacking the prosecutor's decision.
"We deplore this weak and unjust decision. After the further unprecedented posturing of the [prosecution office] we will respond later today after our return from the police station," the couple said in a statement, .
The hacking scandal, you may recall, exploded last summer as it was revealed that °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ of the World had hacked into the phone of a missing teenage girl — who later turned out to be a murder victim. Those misdeeds at one point gave the girl's parents hope that their daughter might still be alive, because °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ of the World deleted some of her voicemails.
As authorities looked into that case, it emerged that °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ of the World had been hacking into the phones of British celebrities, politicians and even members of the royal family. Murdoch shut down the tabloid, but the scandal has spread to other °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ Corp. properties in the U.K. There's also been evidence of payments to politicians and police officials.
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Along with Brooks and her husband Charlie, four of her former assistants also face charges.
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