Hacking probe leads to the referral of 11 suspects to CPS

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Scotland Yard’s phone hacking squad has referred four files involving 11 unidentified people, including four journalists and a police officer, to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on Wednesday.

Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer would not name the four journalists or their titles, but he listed the four files individually. Offences under consideration include misconduct in a public office, data protection act breaches, perverting the course of justice, witness intimidation and breaches of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA).

Mr. Starmer has refused to give a timescale for a charging decision but has stated: “We are now entering a period where we are likely to make a decision one way or another.”

Mr. Starmer has said that some of the referred suspects have not been questioned by police yet. He has further informed that 43 people in total are arrested under the various operations sparked by uncovering of phone-hacking at the News of the World remained on bail.

The announcement has been made as Britain’s top prosecutor published guidelines setting out how journalists may have breached the law.

Mr. Starmer has hopefully said that the new rules would help lawyers with the “very difficult decisions”. The new guidelines suggest a maximum jail term of life in case of the offence of misconduct in a public office. Unlawful interventions of communications carry sentences of two years jail.

Mr. Starmer has also stated: “Freedom of expression and the public right to know about important matters of public debate are an essential foundation of our society – but there are limits for those who cross the line into criminality.”

A CPS spokeswoman has told: “We are not prepared to discuss the identities of those involved or the alleged offences in any greater detail at this stage as a number of related investigations are ongoing. We are unable to give any timescale for charging decisions, except to say that these cases are being considered.”

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