The Guardian journalist and police officer investigated for their role in the leak of information concerning phone-hacking at the News of the World will not be charged.
Amelia Hill, who broke the story about Milly Dowler’s mobile phone voicemail being intercepted by the News of the World along with Nick Davies, will not face prosecution after Alison Levitt QC, principal legal adviser to the director of public prosecutions, ruled that doing so would not be in the public interest.
There was also no evidence that the police offer alleged to have leaked the information accepted money for the data. Furthermore, said Levitt, the confidential information “did not expose anyone to a risk of injury or death” or “compromise the investigation”.
Levitt concluded: “There is insufficient evidence against either suspect to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for the common law offence of misconduct in a public office or conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.”
The Guardian welcomed the CPS’ decision, saying it was “sensible” to abandon this “worrying attempt to criminalise legitimate contact between journalists and confidential sources”.
(Source: The Guardian)
