Former News of the World reporter Dan Evans is to face trial over allegations that he was involved in phone-hacking.
He was arrested some two years ago, on 19 August 2011, and has been on police bail ever since.
Evans becomes the ninth journalist to be charged under the Met’s Operation Weeting inquiry into phone-hacking.
He has been charged with two counts of conspiring to intercept the phone messages of “well known people” between 2003 and 2005 and between 2004 and 2010.
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Because Evans started work at the News of the World in 2005, the phone-hacking charges date partly from the time he was at his previous employer – The Sunday Mirror. This is the first hacking charge relating to the Mirror titles.
Evans is also facing one charge of conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office (between 2008 and 2010) and a further charge making a false witness statement at the High Court (between June 2009 and April 2010).
Crown Prosecution Service lawyer Gregor McGill said: “The CPS has concluded there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to charge Daniel Evans with four offences in connection with the phone hacking investigations.
“All of these matters were considered carefully in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors and the DPP's guidelines on the public interest in cases affecting the media. These guidelines ask prosecutors to consider whether the public interest served by the conduct in question outweighs the overall criminality before bringing criminal proceedings.
“Accordingly, we have authorised the institution of proceedings against Daniel Evans and he will appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on 4 September 2013.
“May I remind all concerned that proceedings for criminal offences involving this individual will now be commenced and he has a right to a fair trial.
“It is very important that nothing is said, or reported, which could prejudice this. For these reasons it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.”
So far at least 59 journalists have been arrested as a result of various police inquiries stemming from the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. Some 25 have now been charged.
The full charges, which relate to both Operations Weeting (phone-hacking) and Elveden (payments to public officials) are as follows:
Charge 1
Between 28 February 2003 and 1 January 2005, conspired with others to intercept communications in the course of their transmission, without lawful authority, namely the voicemail messages of well-known people and those associated with them.
Contrary to s.1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977
Charge 2
Between 30 April 2004 and 1 June 2010, conspired with others to intercept communications in the course of their transmission, without lawful authority, namely the voicemail messages of well-known people and those associated with them.
Contrary to s.1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977
Charge 3
Between 1 January 2008 and 1 June 2010, conspired with others to commit misconduct in public office.
Contrary to s.1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977
Charge 4
Between 21 June 2009 and 30 April 2010, committed an act which had a tendency to pervert the course of justice, namely making a false witness statement in connection with proceedings before the High Court of England and Wales.
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