Andy Coulson News

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has confirmed that Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson are among eight who face charges relating to phone hacking.

All, with the exception of Glenn Mulcaire, will be charged with conspiring to intercept voicemails without legal authority.

In addition, Rebekah Brooks learned she will face two further charges of conspiracy unlawfully to intercept communications. The first relates to the voicemails of the late schoolgirl Milly Dowler, while the second relates to the voicemails of Andrew Gilchrist.

Andy Coulson faces four additional charges, relating to Milly Dowler, model Calum Best and former Cabinet ministers David Blunkett and Charles Clarke.

It was also revealed that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were among the victims or group of victims for which James Weatherup and Neville Thurlbeck will stand further charges.

• UK
• Rebekah Brooks
• Andy Coulson

David Cameron's grilling at the Leveson Inquiry is expected to focus on issues such as the appointment of Andy Coulson as Downing Street spin chief and his friendship with former News International Chief Executive Rebekah Brooks.

Both ex-tabloid editors' appearances at the inquiry threw up a series of questions over Mr Cameron's own actions both as opposition leader and after entering 10 Downing Street in 2010.

The Prime Minister conceded in the wake of the phone hacking scandal that he was guilty like his predecessors of getting too close to media proprietors and has called for relations to be "reset".

• UK
• Leveson Inquiry
• David Cameron

David Cameron's former communications chief Andy Coulson has arrived at a Scottish police station to be questioned on suspicion of committing perjury during the trial of former MSP Tommy Sheridan.

The 44-year-old was detained in London this morning by officers from Strathclyde Police.

He arrived at Govan police station in Glasgow just before 3.30pm.

Police have 12 hours to question Mr Coulson before applying for a further 12-hour period if it is deemed necessary.

• UK
• Andy Coulson
• Hacking

Andy Coulson has arrived at Govan Police Station in the south side of Glasgow.

Police now have 12 hours to question him before applying for a further 12 hour period, if it is deemed necessary.

• UK
• Andy Coulson
• Hacking

Strathclyde Police have confirmed that Andy Coulson has arrived at Govan Police Station in the south side of Glasgow.

Police now have 12 hours to question him before applying for a further 12 hour period, if it is deemed necessary.

• UK
• Andy Coulson
• Hacking

Tommy Sheridan was jailed for three years in January 2011 after being found guilty of perjury during his 2006 defamation action against the News of the World.

He had been awarded £200,000 in damages after winning the civil case but a jury at the High Court in Glasgow found him guilty of lying about the now-defunct tabloid's claims that he was an adulterer who visited a swingers' club.

Sheridan's trial, which lasted almost 12 weeks, was one of the longest of its kind in Scottish legal history.

He was convicted of five out of six allegations in a single charge of perjury relating to his evidence during the civil action at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

His wife Gail was on trial along with him but was acquitted of lying to the court during his successful defamation action against the News of the World in 2006.

He was released from jail in January after serving one year of his sentence and vowed to continue the fight to clear his name.

• UK
• Tommy Sheridan
• Andy Coulson

A Downing Street source has told me it's come as a complete surprise that Andy Coulson has been detained by Strathclyde Police. The source stressed Number 10 had not been made aware beforehand.

• UK
• Andy Coulson
• Hacking

Operation Rubicon detectives have been looking at whether certain witnesses lied to the court during Sheridan's trial as part of a "full" investigation into phone hacking in Scotland.

Mr Coulson, then employed by Downing Street as director of communications, told the trial in December 2010 he had no knowledge of illegal activities by reporters while he was editor of the News of the World.

He also claimed: "I don't accept there was a culture of phone hacking at the News of the World."

• UK
• Andy Coulson
• Hacking