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Ex-News Of The World Editor Andy Coulson Freed From Prison

Andy Coulson, the former <em>News of the World</em> editor, leaves the Central Criminal Court in London on June 25. He was released from prison on Friday after serving less than five months of his 18-month sentence for conspiring to intercept voicemails.
Lefteris Pitarakis
/
AP
Andy Coulson, the former News of the World editor, leaves the Central Criminal Court in London on June 25. He was released from prison on Friday after serving less than five months of his 18-month sentence for conspiring to intercept voicemails.

Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson, who was found guilty of conspiracy to hack personal voice mails, was released today after serving less than five months of his 18-month sentence.

British news reports say that as a condition of early release, Coulson, 46, will have to wear an electronic tag for the remainder of his sentence.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice quoted by The Guardian said: "Public protection is our first priority. Only prisoners who pass a strict risk assessment can be released on HDC. Offenders on HDC are subject to strict licence conditions and can be recalled to prison if they breach them."

HDC refers to home detention curfew.

As we've previously told you, the phone hacking scandal broke in 2010, revealing that the now-defunct News of the World tabloid had hacked the voice mails of more than 1,000 people, including members of the British royal family.

The revelations forced Coulson to resign as Prime Minister David Cameron's communications director. At the subsequent trial, Coulson was found guilty while his former boss, Rebekah Brooks, was cleared.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Krishnadev Calamur is NPR's deputy Washington editor. In this role, he helps oversee planning of the Washington desk's news coverage. He also edits NPR's Supreme Court coverage. Previously, Calamur was an editor and staff writer at The Atlantic. This is his second stint at NPR, having previously worked on NPR's website from 2008-15. Calamur received an M.A. in journalism from the University of Missouri.