A UNIVERSITY lecturer will face no further action following her arrest in connection with the ongoing phone hacking inquiry.
Former News of the World reporter Bethany Usher, who teaches media ethics at Teesside University, maintained she had done nothing wrong after being released on bail last week.
The 31-year-old spent three years working on national newspapers after leaving the Sunderland Echo, where she was a trainee journalist.
Ms Usher is now a senior journalism lecturer at Teesside University.
In 2006, she was questioned by officers on suspicion of providing false information for a job at Buckingham Palace, but was never charged.
A statement from the force’s Operation Weeting squad said: “On November 30, officers from Operation Weeting arrested a woman in Northumberland on suspicion of conspiring to intercept voicemail messages, contrary to Section1 (1) Criminal Law Act 1977.
“The woman was taken to a police station in Northumberland and initially released on bail to return to a police station in Northumberland on a date in late March 2012 pending further inquiries.
“She has since been released – no further action – on December 7.”
Following her arrest, Ms Usher issued a statement stating she had left press journalism after she became disillusioned with the way some people she worked with saw human suffering simply as fodder to fill pages.
She said: “I have never been involved in the interception of telecommunications in any way and strictly adhered to the Press Complaints Commission code of practice.”
Last night, a spokeswoman for Teesside University said: “We are very pleased that this matter has been speedily resolved.”
The development comes after private investigator Glenn Mulcaire was released on bail until March over allegations of phone hacking and perverting the course of justice.
Mulcaire, 41, was arrested on Wednesday after officers swooped on his Surrey home at dawn.
His was the 18th hackingrelated arrest since the fresh investigation was launched.
Detectives working their way through 300 million emails from News International have arrested a series of high-profile figures, including former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks and ex-Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article