Criminal charges against journalists and a police officer are being considered by British prosecutors after an investigation into alleged phone hacking by reporters at tabloid newspapers, it was reported Wednesday.

The Crown Prosecution Service said police had handed it files on four cases, which include allegations that a reporter paid a police officer for information and that another attempted to pervert the course of justice, BBC News reported.

The cases also include allegations of misconduct in a public office, witness intimidation and harassment. 

Four journalists, one police officer and six others are reportedly involved. They have not been named and it is not clear if any are employees of the British subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

The BBC said prosecutors had made a statement saying they would not disclose the identities of those involved, or give any estimate on when they might reach decisions in the cases.

Phone hacking lawsuits to be filed in US courts

On Friday it emerged that lawsuits over alleged phone hacking by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation are to be filed in U.S. courts for the first time.

Mark Lewis, the lawyer who has been at the forefront of efforts to expose phone hacking at newspapers, expects to file civil lawsuits on behalf of three alleged victims.

Timeline: Key developments in phone hacking scandal

Earlier this year, former News Corp chief executive and News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks and her husband Charlie Brooks, a close friend of British Prime Minister David Cameron, were arrested as part of the hacking investigation. They were later released.

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