Andy Coulson acquitted of perjury

Andy Coulson leaves the High Court after he was cleared of perjury in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Wednesday.PHOTO: AP

Andy Coulson, British Prime Minister David Cameron’s one-time media chief, was acquitted by a Scottish court on Wednesday of committing perjury by lying about his knowledge of phone-hacking at a Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid he once edited.

Mr. Coulson, who was editor of the now-defunct News of the World newspaper from 2003-2007, was jailed last July for conspiracy to intercept voicemails on mobile phones after it was revealed there had been widespread hacking by journalists to obtain exclusive stories for his paper.

He had been accused of lying under oath when he appeared at a trial in Glasgow in 2010 when he told the court he had no knowledge of illegal activities by his reporters.

Mr. Coulson was answering questions over a front-page

News of the World story about a Scottish socialist politician, Tommy Sheridan, whom the paper accused of visiting a swingers’ club.