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December 18, 2015

Phone-hacking victims ask CPS to review decision not to prosecute Mirror journalists

By Press Gazette

The Crown Prosecution Service has been asked by phone-hacking victims to review its decision that no further action should be taken against journalists or companies suspected of having spied on messages and voicemails.

The request for a review, from alleged victims of the phone-hacking being investigated under the Metropolitan Police's Operation Golding, was disclosed in a letter to the Court of Appeal from specialist prosecutor Luke Dockwray of the CPS Organised Crime Division.

He told the court in a letter yesterday that he had been notified by press reform pressure group Hacked Off that victims of Operation Golding had lodged a formal request to have the CPS Charging Decision reviewed.

Director of Public Prosecution Alison Saunders announced on December 11 that no further action was to be taken in two long-running phone-hacking investigations, Operations Weeting and Golding.

There was "insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of a conviction" in relation to corporate liability at News Group Newspapers and against 10 individuals at Mirror Group Newspapers, Saunders said.

The announcement has been seen as marking the end of the criminal actions over phone-hacking.

It was thought that Hacked Off would ask that the review of the CPS decision should be led by an independent barrister, as happened after the original CPS decision against prosecuting former MP Lord Janner on sex abuse allegations.

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