Phone-hacking trial: Brooks' emails and the Goodman tape
The fourth week of the trial of Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson and six others for alleged conspiracy offences between 2002 and 2006 continued this morning at the Old Bailey. After the jury took their seats, Justice Saunders told the court the schedule for the week and then the prosecution resumed reading into evidence relating to the charges against Brooks including emails relating to what they called her “day-to-day running” of the News of the World (NotW).
Mark Bryant-Heron told the jury these would become more relevant as the case went on. Most were expressing concerns about budget overspends in the newsroom though 2001 and 2002, or showed Brooks giving detailed instructions on how particular issues should be handled including one specifically relating to the Milly Dowler story.
The prosecution then moved on to January 2011. An email from Brooks to her PAs was shown to the court where she tells them she has to meet Andy Coulson "somewhere discreet, like a hotel". Justice Saunders asked if Coulson was working for News International at that time. The prosecution confined he was not.
Another diary entry later in January 2011 shows a message left by Coulson for Brooks asking her to call him. Bryant-Heron, for the prosecution, noted that Operation Weeting, the investigation into phone-hacking that led to this trial, began in January 2011.
The jury was then shown documents from 2007, including an expenses claim for £67, showing Brooks took Clive Goodman to lunch at the exclusive RAC club and offered him a role writing a feature on Lady Diana, or in a place on a sub-editors course after Goodman was released from prison for phone-hacking. Brooks describes the offer as "from one old colleague to another". Goodman declines the offer.
The next witness called was Fiona Makin, who was unable to attend court last week. After being sworn in Makin told the court that she worked at the NotW from 1993 and in due course became deputy managing editor under one of the defendants, Stuart Kuttner. Her role, the witness told the jury, was to deal with budgetary and staffing issues. She confirmed that cash payments to contributors to the NotW came through her office. Makin told the court that she could sign off cash payments of up to £50,000. Asked if she had ever heard of convicted phone hacker Glenn Mulcaire, the witness stated "I never heard that name while I worked at the News of the World".
The witness was then shown a journalist's contract of employment from the NotW which included a paragraph stating that staff must abide by the contents of a pamphlet called "Integrity, Honesty and Fair play". Makin confirmed this was accurate. Makin also confirmed that Clive Goodman’s salary was paid from the managing editor’s budget, not the general newsroom budget.
Makin was then shown a contract between the News of the World and convicted phone hacker Glenn Mulcaire for £92,000 a year and asked "who would know about that". The witness told the court that the managing editor would have to be aware of it so there could be a “smooth approval process”. Stuart Kuttner’s barrister, Jonathan Caplan QC, then rose to cross-examine the witness.
The witness agreed with Caplan that she had been supported by his client through her time at the NotW and that he had helped her achieve the position of deputy managing editor. She also agreed that her office dealt with many different parts of the business and was a “very busy office”. The witness was then shown an email from Stuart Kuttner to Surrey Police from April 2002. In the letter Kuttner tells the police the NotW is in possession of tapes of the voicemails of then missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler. Makin said she had no recollection of anything to do with that issue or that she had even heard of phone-hacking until after Glenn Mulcaire was convicted in 2006.
The court then took a short break.
When the jury returned they were given a “timeline” folder containing evidence relating to Eimear Cook the former wife of golfer Colin Montgomerie. The jury was shown a page from convicted phone hacker Glenn Mulcaire’s notebooks from July 2004, headed “re Colin Montgomerie” which lists the golfer's mobile telephone number and that of his ex-wife and her mother. A further page is headed “Alabama” and “most favoured calls!” A Mrs Atkinson, who the court was told was a friend of Cook’s mother, also has her telephone number listed. A NotW story was then shown on the subject of Montgomerie and Cook saying their divorce has “turned nasty” with her barring him from their new home.
Cook was then due to give evidence but a document needed by the defence was still in the process of being provided. The court then took another short break and when they returned Justice Saunders told the jury they would move to another subject while this was being dealt with, this being a tape of a telephone conversation between Andy Coulson and Clive Goodman from November 2006. This, the jury was told, was just after Clive Goodman had been arrested for phone-hacking but before his subsequent guilty plea. The tape was made by Goodman and is of very poor quality so the jury were provided with a transcript. Sadly we were not. The notes below are as accurate as I could manage.
Coulson tells Goodman he is concerned about a "widening out of the charges". Goodman replies that there are “very few guarantees is life” but tells Coulson the prosecution “don’t seem able to prove” many of the charges. They discuss various aspects of the charges with Coulson at one point saying "I didn’t know the numbers were traceable," and “I can't sit here and tell you we can sort everything out,” but that the paper will do "every possible support to help you through this process". “I’m telling you now my intention is to be able to say at the end of this process that we should still employ you”. Goodman replies “thank you very much” and then asks about “Glenn” and his future with the paper? Coulson replies noncommittally, adding “from what I understand they are not tracing those names back to the paper and they are not linking them back to the News of the World.”
Coulson then tells Goodman “This is an absolute f****** nightmare,” and “we appreciate what you are doing, it can’t be easy”. Goodman replies “It’s a terrifying time, I can’t believe it”. Goodman tells Coulson he will “let him know what happens” and after exchanging goodbyes the call ends.
Court then broke for lunch.