Former Sunday Mirror journalist charged with intercepting communications
Gregor McGill, a senior lawyer at the Crown Prosecution Service, said:
“A file was received from the Metropolitan Police in May 2014 and the CPS has today authorised the police to summons Graham Johnson, a former Sunday Mirror journalist, to be charged with an offence of intercepting communications without legal authority, namely mobile phone voicemail messages.
“Graham Johnson will appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 6th November 2014.
“May I remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against Graham Johnson will now be commenced and of his right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.
“This decision was taken in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors and the DPP’s guidelines on the public interest in cases affecting the media. We have decided there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and that a prosecution is in the public interest.”
Details of the full charge:
Graham Johnson, between 31st August 2001 and 22nd October 2001 intercepted communications in the course of their transmission, without lawful authority, namely mobile phone voicemail messages, contrary to s1(1) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.
One individual informed that no further action will be taken regarding conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office
Gregor McGill, a senior lawyer at the Crown Prosecution Service said:
“The CPS has today decided that no further action will be taken in relation to an individual, concerning allegations of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office.
“A file was received on 6 June 2014 from the Metropolitan Police. After careful consideration it has been decided that there is insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction. This decision has been made in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
“Any decision by the CPS does not imply any finding concerning guilt or criminal conduct; the CPS makes decisions only according to the test set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors and it is applied in all decisions on whether or not to prosecute.”
For editors:
The CPS's function is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the criminal court to consider. The CPS assessment of any case is not in any sense a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, which can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of what it might be possible to prove to a court, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
This assessment is based on the evidence available arising out of the police investigation and not on the evidence that is likely to be gathered by the defence, and likely to be used to test the prosecution evidence. The CPS charging decision is therefore necessarily an assessment on the basis of the evidence that is available to the CPS at the time the decision is made.
CPS prosecutors must also keep every case under review, so that they take account of any change in circumstances that occurs as the case develops, including what becomes known of the defence case. If appropriate, the CPS may change the charges or stop a case.
