The Crown Prosecution Service announced this morning that four former News International editors and journalists will stand trial on charges of conspiring to commit misconduct in public office.

Andy Coulson, a former Editor of the News of the World, and Clive Goodman, a former royal correspondent at the newspaper, are each charged with two conspiracies. The allegations relate to the request and authorization of payments to public officials in exchange for information, including a Palace telephone directory containing contact details for members of the Royal Family and Members of the Household.

Rebekah Brooks, a former Editor of The Sun and the News of the World and Chief Executive of News International between 2009 and 2011, is charged with John Kay, Chief Reporter at The Sun between 1990 and 2011, Bettina Jordan-Barber, a Ministry of Defence employee with conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. The conspiracy relates to information allegedly provided by Bettina Jordan-Barber for payment, which formed the basis of news stories published by The Sun. It is alleged that approximately £100,000 was paid to Bettina Jordan-Barber between 2004 and 2011.

These charges arise out of evidence passed to the CPS by police officers working on Operation Elveden, which was established in 2011 to investigate alleged unlawful payments by News International staff to public officials.

The CPS press release states that the decision to bring charges was taken in accordance with the DPP’s Guidelines for prosecutors on assessing the public interest in cases affecting the media. (See here for an earlier Inforrm blog post discussing the guidelines.)

The full charges are as follows:

Andy Coulson and Clive Goodman:

Charge 1

Clive Goodman and Andrew Coulson, between 31 August 2002 and 31 January 2003, conspired together and with a person or persons unknown to commit misconduct in public office.

Contrary to s.1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977

Charge 2

Clive Goodman and Andrew Coulson, between 31 January 2005 and 3 June 2005, conspired together and with a person or persons unknown to commit misconduct in public office.

Contrary to s.1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977

Bettina Jordan-Barber, John Kay and Rebekah Brooks:

Charge 1

Bettina Jordan-Barber, John Kay and Rebekah Brooks, between 1 January 2004 and 31 January 2012, conspired together, and with others, to commit misconduct in public office.

Contrary to s.1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977

Brooks and Coulson are also due to stand trial with six other people in September 2013 on charges relating to an alleged conspiracy to hack mobile telephone voicemails.