Report: Leveson sends letters of censure to inquiry witnesses

Lord Justice Leveson has written to all those expected to be censured in his upcoming report into press standards, according to report this morning.

The Independent said that

In a sign that the long-running inquiry into press standards is nearing completion, inquiry sources said letters had now gone out to all witnesses likely to be censured.

Those concerned – who have not been named – now have several weeks to respond to the charges against them before the final report is published. This is now expected to be towards the end of October.

The paper also claims that while it is not known which people at News International will be criticised in the report, ‘any censure at all will cause difficulty for the judge’due to the ongoing police investigation into phone-hacking.

Lawyers for former chief executive Rebekah Brooks urged Leveson not to make specific criticisms of News International that could impact on her chance of a fair trial.