Rebekah Brooks

Rebekah Brooks

Rebekah Mary Brooks (née Wade; born 27 May 1968) is a British journalist and former newspaper editor. She was Chief Executive Officer of News International from 2009 to 2011, having previously served as the youngest editor of a British national newspaper at News of the World from 2000 to 2003, and the first female editor of The Sun from 2003 to 2009. Brooks married actor Ross Kemp in 2002. They divorced in 2009 and she married former racehorse trainer and author Charlie Brooks.

Brooks is a prominent figure in the News International phone hacking scandal, having been the editor of the News of the World when illegal phone hacking was allegedly carried out by the newspaper. On 15 July 2011, Brooks resigned as chief executive of News International, following widespread criticism of her role in the controversy. On 17 July 2011, she was arrested on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications and on suspicion of corruption - making corrupt payments to public officials. On 13 March 2012, she was again arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. On 15 May 2012, Brooks was charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Mrs Brooks said she was “baffled” by the decision to charge her. Mr Brooks said he believed his wife had become "the subject of a witch-hunt". Rebekah Brooks and her husband appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on 13 June on charges linked to the phone hacking scandal. District Judge Howard Riddle told the defendants they would go on trial at a later date at Southwark Crown Court remanding Mrs Brooks and her husband on bail until the next hearing on 22 June. On 22 June, a trial date for the allegations that she hid documents and computers from detectives investigating hacking and bribing public officials was not set after the court heard that she is due to learn if she is to be charged with further offences in relation to the Met's Operation Weeting.

On 24 July 2012, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that Brooks would be charged, along with six other former members of the staff of the News of the World, with conspiring to intercept communications without lawful authority, from 3 October 2000 to 9 August 2006. In addition to this "generic" charge, Brooks would be charged with four specific counts of conspiracy to intercept communications without lawful authority. These include a charge relating to the hacking of the voicemail of the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.