Former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks has been charged with perverting the course of justice during the phone-hacking scandal, it has been confirmed.
She is the first person to be charged since the extensive Metropolitan Police inquiry into phone hacking and corruption began in January last year.
Press Association reported: "Former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks and her husband Charlie Brooks are to be charged with perverting the course of justice during the phone-hacking scandal, they said today in a statement."
In a statement Brooks and her husband said they "deplore the weak and unjust decision."
"After the further unprecedented posturing of the CPS we will respond later today after our return from the police station," the statement added.
Meanwhile, a 50-year-old male employee of HM Revenue and Customs and a 43-year-old woman were arrested today at their home in north west London as part of the investigation into corrupt payments to public officials, Scotland Yard said.
Brooks, a Warrington-born high-flyer in Rupert Murdoch's media empire, is one of the most high-profile figures in the newspaper industry.
The decision from prosecutors comes days after she lifted the lid about her close relationship with the Prime Minister as she gave evidence at the Leveson Inquiry into press standards.
David Cameron had a habit of signing off texts "lots of love" to Brooks, and sent her a message urging her to "keep your head up" when she resigned over the phone-hacking scandal.
Brooks became News of the World editor in 2000 aged 31, landed the top job at The Sun in 2003 and was appointed chief executive of News International in 2009 before quitting in July 2011.
Days later she was arrested over alleged phone-hacking and corruption offences.
She was arrested again in March in connection with the separate perverting the course of justice allegation, with her husband and four others.
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