Rebekah and Charlie Brooks

Rebekah Brooks, former head of Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper empire and a close friend of Prime Minister David Cameron, was formally charged today, along with her husband and four others of deliberately obstructing justice in the wire-tapping and fraud charges that erupted sixteen months ago.

Some 50 others have already been arrested by Scotland Yard and currently are out on bail awaiting trial.

The case, now believed to involve pay-offs to important government officials as well as wire-tapping that reached all the way to the royal family of Great Britain, exploded onto the Internet and in news around the world when the story broke that Rupert's tabloid, News of The World, had even tapped the voicemail of 13-year-old schoolgirl Milly Dowler after she was kidnapped but later found dead.

It was during the time of this event, according to the charges made public today (Tuesday, May 16), that Brooks, her husband, Charlie Brooks, and four others, including her private assistant, her chauffeur, and her bodyguard were engaged in concealing documents, devices and archive materials from Scotland Yard.

Brooks resigned shortly after the Dowler wire-tapping story broke in Great Britain.  Brooks was arrested shortly thereafter but released without being indicted.  She was later arrested a second time and again released when the prosecutor did not feel he had enough evidence to indict her.

This time, however, the prosecutor has charged her with three counts of conspiracy to pervert justice and her husband with two counts. The charges were taken as a direct blow to Murdoch and his son James Murdoch, who put Rebekah Brooks on the fast track to one of the most powerful positions in Murdoch's News Corp worldwide empire and who have stood by her as the scandal has grown.

It was also a blow to Cameron, who, by his own admission and that of
Rebekah Brooks, has maintained a cozy social relationship with Brooks and her husband, who is a prominent race horse trainer.

The Brooks released a statement just prior to being charged stating that they "deplored this weak and unjust decision."  Rebekah Brooks called it a "waste of the taxpayer's money."

The prosecution's spokesman ,Alison Levett, at the same time released its statement, explaining it had received from Scotland Yard a file of evidence in which there was sufficient evidence for there to be a "realistic prospect of conviction" for the six people charged.

She also named the other four who are charged.  They include Cheryl Carter,  Rebekah Brook's personal assistant, Mark Hanna, the head of security at News International, a chauffeur, Paul Edwards, and a security consultant, Daryl Jorsling.

Brooks and her husband, who will probably be released on bail, have been ordered to appear in court June 13.  At that time a trial date, probably some nine months away and sure to be a media sensation, will be set.Information courtesy of the Dallas Morning News