Charlie Brooks (racehorse trainer) on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. They were charged with perverting the course of justice in May 2012. Charlie and Rebekah Brooks appeared in court at the Old Bailey on 26 September 2012. Rebekah Brooks faced three charges and Charlie Brooks one charge of conspiring to pervert the course of justice by concealing material from police officers. Their trial started in October 2013. In Brooks' own defence, his lawyer called him "foolish," "stupid" and "not academically gifted". One character witness, Sara Bradstock, told the court how he drank a pint of washing up liquid to get
2009–2011 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations he was the opposition's spokesman on higher education, publicist Max Clifford and even Rebekah Brooks, then editor of the "News of the World"'s sister paper "The Sun". In addition to this "The Guardian" reported that News Group - the "News of the World's" parent company - paid out more than £1m to settle legal cases that threatened to reveal evidence of "News of the World" journalists using criminal methods (accessing mobile phone voicemails of various public figures) to obtain stories. The article further reported sources as stating that News Group staff used private investigators to access several thousand mobile phone