Phone-hacking trial: Coulson, Goodman and Brooks emails
Court resumed after lunch with DC Pritchard continuing his evidence on email traffic recovered by police from the archives of News International and solicitors Harbottle and Lewis. The first email was from Tom Crone, the News of the World's legal advisor, to Andy Coulson, the paper's editor from September 2006, after the arrest of Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire for phone hacking. The email read in part:
"Here what Rebecca [Brooks] told me about info from the cops, Clive and GM bang to rights on palace intercepts, list of 100 to 110 victims, only payment records found were from the NOTW, over 1 million pounds in payments... Purpose is to ensure when GM [Mulcaire] comes to court whole case against him comes out not just palace charges, confident will get 5-6 victims to testify in court... in terms of notw not widening case to involve other people unless they find journos directly accessing the voicemails, this is what did for Clive. No recordings of notw people talking to GM, police going to contact Rebekah to see if she wants to take it further."
Andrew Edis QC told the jury that the last line referred to the fact that police had found records at Mulcaire's home which suggested Brooks herself had been a victim of phone hacking.
Further emails between Crone and Coulson were then entered into evidence in which they discussed the case against Goodman and Mulcaire in detail and discussed how to get access to files of evidence and liaise with Mulcaire's barrister. They also discussed a potential apology to the victims saying that this was a problem "as it might prompt Mulcaire into acting" and worry that other victims might then demand an apology too. There were also worries expressed that an apology from Coulson might suggest that Goodman was acting outside the paper's guidelines and "might play badly with the judge".
A draft statement of apology from Coulson to five of the victims of hacking was then discussed while another email from Crone expressed concern that Goodman could "say, do anything to throw spanners" before he was sentenced in court. In another email Les Hinton, then chief executive of News International, also made suggestions on the proposed statement.
The court was then read an email exchange from Rebekah Brooks to Coulson from later in 2006. Brooks wrote to Coulson: "Guardian been on about my phone and Dacre [editor of Daily Mail], not sure when they are running." Coulson replied: "I know this was Les's idea, but not helpful, Mulcaire will think we have leaked it." Brooks responded: "Media Guardian has known this for weeks, full story."
In other emails between Tom Crone and Coulson from after Goodman pleaded guilty to phone hacking Crone expressed concern that Goodman in "quiet chats with probation man will stray off prepared line". In a further email he noted he was meeting "Mulcaire's employment lawyer" over a "thinly disguised blackmail threat". In anothere mail Coulson queried a document produced by Crone, asking: "You say Mulcaire started working for us in 2000, I thought it was earlier than that?" They also discuss severance pay for Goodman, suggesting that he receive one year's salary paid in four installments, if "M agrees"
The court was then shown emails and the text of a story about Prince Harry and a suggestion he "cheated" at Sandhurst, much of the detail of which the jury has already heard. In one email Goodman described Harry's request for assistance in his exams as "Phone a friend in who wants to be a brigadier". Another email from Goodman to Coulson claimed that [Prince] "William is colour blind, which clips his wings as a potential army pilot, checking it out". Another Goodman email claimed Prince William had got lost on a night exercise at Sandhurst, wandered into a regular army exercise area and been "shot with blanks", leading to lots of "piss taking" from other cadets.
In a further email to Coulson, Goodman discussed further stories about the Royals to his editor, adding that he had a "great source", but noting: "I can only manage it from a UK landline". Coulson wrote to Goodman: "How do you know Harry true?" Goodman replied: "Yup its from the same source we had on a retainer, we absolutely know it to be true but we'll have to blag a confession."
The court then rose for half an hour while a video link for an overseas witness was set up.
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