Three journalists have had their names cleared after more than year on police bail over hacking allegations: former News of the World reporter Ross Hall, freelance for the paper Terenia Taras and former deputy football editor of The Times Raoul Simons.
Taras, who was arrested on 23 June 2011, said: “I have been on police bail for 13 months. It has been incredibly stressful and I’m extremely glad it is now over, with my integrity no longer in question.
“I’m angry that this cost me my job, my income, and my professional reputation was brought into question.
‘I have never had any involvement in the deplorable practice of phone hacking and believe I was dragged into the investigation by association and the fact that I’m an investigative journalist who has worked on some very sensitive stories recently.
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“I haven’t written for newspapers for the past five years whilst I’ve been establishing myself in broadcast media. Hopefully, now I can get back to doing what I’m passionate about – working on investigative documentaries and current affairs programmes as part of this country’s strong journalistic tradition.”
Hall left the News of the World to work in PR for Financial Dynamics. He was the member of staff who MPs were told wrote up a transcript of an allegedly hacked telephone message.
Former Evening Standard football reporter Raoul Simons became deputy football editor of The Times in August 2009 but went on extended leave in September 2010.
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