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Rebekah Brooks Is Charged In British Hacking Scandal

Rebekah Brooks, who has now been charged in the phone hacking scandal.
Leon Neal

Rebekah Brooks, the former editor of The News of the World, has been officially charged in the phone hacking scandal that has roiled Rupert Murdoch's media empire.

The Guardian reports:

"Brooks, 44, answered bail at Lewisham police station and will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 3 September.

"Six other journalists from the News of the World, including David Cameron's former spin doctor Andy Coulson, have been officially charged and will appear at the same court on 16 August.

"The seven stand accused of one general charge of alleged phone hacking between October 2000 and August 2006 that could affect as many as 600 victims."

Brooks is specifically charged with illegally accessing the voicemail of Milly Dowler, a murdered school girl.

"Brooks, who quit as chief executive of Murdoch's News International when the phone hacking scandal exploded last year, has vowed to fight the charges," the AP reported.

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Eyder Peralta
Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.