Phone hacking scandal deepens

[David Guyatt]

A cynic might think that the prosecution case was designedly flawed to ensure it failed. That's what a cynic might think.

Everyone else thinks justice has been done and been seen to be done.

Which might well the the whole rationale for the show.

Meanwhile, Rupe Murdoch, who publicly and in front of hundreds of journalists -- witnesses in other words - and who was secretly recorded on tape by one jour no present -- openly admitted he knew that payments were made to the police and that these payments have always happened. Despite this public admission of conspiracy to pervert justice, Rupe doesn't even get his collar felt.

Oh well, just another show trial that worked its way to its designer conclusion.

Phone Hacking: CPS says the trial was about 'exploring a culture of invading privacy'

Prosecutors and police defend the decision to bring the hacking trial as cleared defendant describes it as an 'assault on the free press'


Cleared Stuart Kuttner has described the prosecution as an assault on the free press Photo: Central News

By Martin Evans, Crime Correspondent

7:46PM BST 25 Jun 2014


The Crown Prosecution Service has defended its decision to bring the phone hacking trial to court claiming it was required in order to "explore a culture of invading privacy".

Despite unprecedented resources being thrown at the three year investigation and eight month trial, five of the seven defendants, including former News of the World and Sun editor Rebekah Brooks, were cleared of all charges.

But prosecutors and the police have insisted it was right to bring the case, which is estimated to have cost the taxpayer more than £45 million.

Greg McGill, a senior lawyer with the CPS, said the decision to pursue the case all the way had been entirely justified.

He said: "This case was not about whether phone hacking took place or whether public officials were paid for information; there are a significant number of recent convictions which show that both did happen.

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"This has been a lengthy and complex trial which was required to explore a culture of invading privacy."
But privacy experts have said a criminal trial was not the appropriate forum to explore such issues.
Niri Shan, head of media law at Taylor Wessing, said: "When the CPS is deciding whether to bring criminal charges, public opinion will play some part, but essentially a trial should be about the evidence against the defendants.
"A criminal trial is not really the forum to explore the issue of the invasion of privacy. We have already had the Leveson inquiry to do that and there have been a large number of civil actions going through the courts that have also fulfilled that role."

Andy Coulson, the former News of the World editor, was the only defendant to be found guilty at the trial, however five people associated with the defunct tabloid admitted phone hacking charges before the trial began.
The jury failed to reach verdicts on four charges relating to Coulson and former News of the World royal editor, Clive Goodman.
The CPS will announce on Monday whether they will seek a retrial.
But despite the large number of acquittals in the trial, Scotland Yard insisted the investigation one of the biggest in its history had been justified and was not simply an attack on press freedom.
The Met admitted ploughing "unprecedented resources" into probing allegations of wrongdoing at News International and other newspapers, but said it was vital establish whether any offences had been committed.
Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick, who oversaw Operation Weeting, insisted that detectives had followed the evidence without fear or favour.
She said: "This has been a complex and challenging investigation which has culminated in a trial lasting almost eight months. Five people have already pleaded guilty to serious criminal offences before this trial.

"Throughout the investigation we have done our best to follow the evidence, without fear or favour. We were conscious of the sensitivities and legal complexities of investigating a national newspaper containing confidential journalistic material.
"This investigation has never been about an attack on press freedom but one to establish whether any criminal offences had been committed, to establish who was responsible for committing them and to bring them to justice. The victims deserved no less.
"Along with the verdicts, I hope this will give some comfort to the many victims that justice has been served.
"Those found not guilty have been exonerated after a thorough police investigation and fair trial. It was right that the issues were aired publicly in a court of law."

But Stuart Kuttner, the former News of the World managing editor, who was one of those cleared, said he believed the entire case had been based on undermining a free press.
He told Channel 4 News: "I think the state, through its legal arms, to the Crown Prosecution Service, the Metropolitan Police Force, chose to take on the press.
"Obviously I deeply, personally deeply resent that. I resent it for my colleagues, and I am inclined to use the term stitch up, because that's at heart what I believe it was.
"I'm not attributing blame to any particular organisation or any particular arm of the state, but when you take on people like us where there is no evidence, no substantive evidence whatsoever, then you have to ask what lies behind it.
"And what lies behind it was in my view was an absolute unmerited assault on a free press."