reporter: among those charged are andy colson, ex-editor of news of the world and the former aide to britain s prime minister. and the trusted head of british operations. the story exploded last year when it was learned news of the world hacked the mail and reported on desperate messages left by her parents. the calls led her family to believe she was still alive when in fact she had been murdered. that revelation revolted the entire country and sparked what has been the decline of murdoch s global media empire. the idea that i would sit in my office dreaming up schemes to undermine investigations is simply untrue. reporter: in a statement, rebecca brooks denied the accusation saying she was distressed and angry at prosecutors decisions to charge her. jeffrey kaufmann, abc news, london. a penalty eventually for some of that sensational journalism like that. maximum penalty for each charge,