LONDON – British prosecutors say Rupert Murdoch’s British newspapers won’t face corporate charges over phone hacking, ending a four-year investigation into tabloid wrongdoing.
Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders said Friday that there is “insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of a conviction” over corporate liability by Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers.
She said 10 individuals under investigation at the rival Mirror Group – including former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan – also will not face charges.
Investigations into phone hacking, tabloid bribery and other wrongdoing were triggered by the 2011 revelation that staff at Murdoch’s News of the World had eavesdropped on the voicemails of celebrities, politicians and crime victims.
Dozens of journalists and public officials were arrested, though most were released or acquitted. Nine people have been convicted over hacking.
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