Former British Editor Coulson Released From Prison

British Prime Minister David Cameron's former communications director was released from prison Friday after serving less than five months of an 18-month sentence for conspiring to hack phones while he was a newspaper editor.



Andy Coulson, 46, a former editor of the now-discontinued British weekly tabloid The News of the World, was found guilty in June. His trial had lasted eight months.



"Public protection is our first priority," a Justice Ministry spokesman said in a statement. "Only prisoners who pass a strict risk assessment can be released on home detention curfew."



Prisoners released in this way are subject to strict conditions and can be sent back to prison if they fail to follow them, the statement said.



The ministry declined, however, to comment specifically on Coulson's case. 



Seven people went on trial on connection with the phone hacking scandal, in which politicians, police officers and celebrities testified regarding allegations that journalists intercepted phone messages between 2000 and 2006.



Former news editor Greg Miskiw, 64, and former chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck, 52, were each jailed for six months. News editor James Weatherup, 58, was jailed for four months.



Glenn Mulcaire, 43, a former private investigator found responsible for hacking the phones, received a six-month suspended sentence.



The scandal led to the Leveson Inquiry, which held hearings in 2011 and 2012 to investigate the practices and ethics of the British press. 



After Coulson was found guilty, Cameron apologized publicly for having hired him. 



www.aa.com.tr/en - Greater London