Former News International staff have been charged in relation to the phone hacking scandal.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced on Tuesday, July 24, that eight people including Rebekah Brooks, former chief executive of News International, and Andy Coulson had been charged.

Hinchley Wood resident Neville Thurlbeck, former chief reporter of the News of the World, was among the eight charged with alleged offences including the hacking of murdered Walton school girl Milly Dowler’s voicemails.

Mr Thurlbeck stepped down as Surrey Comet theatre critic on hearing the decision from the CPS.

Private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, from Sutton, who was jailed in 2007 after admitting illegally intercepting messages of members of the Royal Household, was also among those charged.

The eight News International staff and Mr Mulclaire will face the court on a combined total of 19 charges, detailed below.

Prosecutor said the charges related to the “voicemail messages of well-known people and/or those associated with them”.

Among those were Milly Dowler, Angelina Jolie, Wayne Rooney, David Blunkett, Tessa Jowell, Jude Law and Sir Paul McCartney.

Principal legal adviser to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Alison Levitt QC, said: “All the evidence has been carefully considered.

“I have concluded that in relation to eight of these 13 suspects there is sufficient evidence for there to be a realistic prospect of conviction in relation to one or more offences.

“May I remind all concerned that these eight individuals now will be charged with criminal offences and that each has a right to a fair trial.”

She added: “It is very important that nothing is said, or reported, which could prejudice that trial. For these reasons it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.”

Also charged were Ian Edmonson, Stuart Kuttner, and the managing editor and former executives Greg Miskiw and James Weatherup

All deny the charges.

  • All, with the exception of Glenn Mulcaire, will be charged with conspiring to intercept communications without lawful authority, from October 3 2000 to August 9 2006. The communications in question are the voicemail messages of well-known people and/or those associated with them.
  • There is a schedule containing the names of over 600 people whom the prosecution will say are the victims of this offence.
  • In addition, each will face a number of further charges of conspiracy unlawfully to intercept communications, as follows:
  • Rebekah Brooks will face two additional charges:
    the first relates to the voicemails of the late Milly Dowler
    the second to the voicemails of Andrew Gilchrist
  • Andrew Coulson will face four additional charges, relating to the following victims:
    Milly Dowler
    the Rt Hon David Blunkett MP
    the Rt Hon Charles Clarke, and
    Calum Best
  • Stuart Kuttner will face two additional charges, relating to:
    Milly Dowler and
    the Rt Hon David Blunkett MP
  • Greg Miskiw will face nine further charges, relating to the following victims or groups of victims:
    Milly Dowler
    Sven-Goran Eriksson
    Abigail Titmuss and John Leslie
    Andrew Gilchrist
    The Rt Hon David Blunkett MP
    Delia Smith
    The Rt Hon Charles Clarke
    Jude Law, Sadie Frost and Sienna Miller, and
    Wayne Rooney
  • Ian Edmondson will face a further eleven charges, relating to the following victims or groups of victims:
    the Rt Hon David Blunkett MP
    the Rt Hon Charles Clarke
    Jude Law, Sadie Frost and Sienna Miller
    Mark Oaten
    Wayne Rooney
    Calum Best
    the Rt Hon Dame Tessa Jowell MP and David Mills
    the Rt Hon Lord Prescott
    Professor John Tulloch
    Lord Frederick Windsor
    Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills
  • Neville Thurlbeck will face a further seven charges in relation to the following victims or groups of victims:
    Milly Dowler
    Sven-Goran Eriksson
    the Rt Hon David Blunkett MP
    the Rt Hon Charles Clarke
    Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
    Mark Oaten
    the Rt Hon Dame Tessa Jowell MP and David Mills
  • James Weatherup will face a further seven charges in relation to the following victims or groups of victims:
    the Rt Hon David Blunkett MP
    the Rt Hon Charles Clarke
    Jude Law, Sadie Frost and Sienna Miller
    Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
    Wayne Rooney
    the Rt Hon Lord Prescott
    Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills
  • For legal reasons, Glenn Mulcaire does not face the first of these charges. However, he will face four charges, relating to:
    Milly Dowler
    Andrew Gilchrist
    Delia Smith
    The Rt Hon Charles Clarke