The UK dropped charges against two former News of the World editors after a Scottish judge acquitted Andy Coulson of perjury.
Coulson, the former News of the World editor and former communications director for Prime Minister David Cameron, was acquitted last week of perjury in Scotland after being accused of lying about phone hacking during Scottish politician Tommy Sheridan’s 2010 perjury trial.
Former News of the World Scotland editor Bob Bird and former news editor Douglas Wight were charged, respectively, with attempting to pervert the course of justice and perjury, related to Sheridan’s 2006 lawsuit against News of the World and Sheridan’s 2010 perjury trial, according to the Press Gazette.
But, the charges were dropped after Coulson’s case. The Scottish Crown Office said, according to the Press Gazette:
“The Procurator Fiscal received reports concerning Douglas Wight and Robert Bird, in connection with alleged offences between February 1995 and November 2010 and July 2006 respectively.
“After an extremely thorough investigation of these allegations, Crown Counsel decided that no criminal proceedings be taken.”