Former Sun journalist Ben Ashford was today charged with handling a stolen mobile phone and illegally accessing information held on a computer.

He is the first person to be charged in connection with the Operation Tuleta investigation into allegations of computer-hacking involving journalists.

Senior lawyer with the Crown Prosecution Service Gregor McGill said: “The CPS has today authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Ben Ashford with one offence of possession of criminal property and one offence of unauthorised access to computer material.”