UK phone hacking scandal: Rebekah Brooks formally charged

London: Former Rupert Murdoch protege Rebekah Brooks has been formally charged with conspiring to hack into the phones of hundreds of well-known people and their associates, a move first announced last month by Britain's Crown Prosecution Service.[caption id="attachment_403194" align="alignleft" width="380"] Police listed 44-year-old Brooks' current occupation as "unemployed."[/caption]The development had been expected since 24 July, when prosecutors named Brooks as one of eight people accused of participating in a campaign of espionage which targeted more than 600 celebrities, sports stars, politicians and crime victims.In Britain, police formally charge suspects. In Brooks' case, that happened late Thursday at a London police station.Brooks, who quit as chief executive of Murdoch's News International when the phone hacking scandal exploded last year, has vowed to fight the charges.Police listed the 44-year-old's current occupation as "unemployed."AP