Phone-hacking trial: Andy Coulson 'amazing, brilliant, the best' says former PA
Trial: Andy Coulson
Court resumed this morning to hear the final part of evidence from former News of the World editor Andy Coulson who denies conspiracy to illegally intercept communications and commit misconduct in public office. With the prosecution having completed its cross-examination, Timothy Langdale QC, Coulson's counsel, rose to re-examine his client.
The defence barrister began by showing his client the News of the World issue of 14 April 2002, which contained a story about missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler. Coulson told the court he did not recall moving the story between editions but had no access to data from the newspaper's "Hermes" system which may have shown who did so.
The former editor was then asked about the prosecution's contention that only an editor could decide if an agency working for the paper was giving value for money. Coulson said he disagreed with this proposition and many other people, including heads of departments, would be able to make those sorts of decisions. "You trusted people to understand that money spent should be value for money, as long as they did not go over budget in a significant way they were left to get on with it," he said.
Coulson was then asked about former Royal editor Clive Goodman's contention in a conversation with Stuart Kuttner that the security services were monitoring phones used by the Royal family. "An entirely shocking piece of information and I would be interested in it as a story," Coulson said, adding: "The Guardian have a particular agenda on this but I think most of the media would have been fascinated by it, it's certainly more interesting than the Queen's nuts or whatever."
The former editor was then asked about a News of the World story, "Prezza's sex diaries", relating to then deputy prime minister John Prescott. Coulson said that all of the newspapers knew the story was about to be published in the Mail on Sunday as the woman involved, Tracy Temple had "gone to Max Clifford". The defendant told the court that the News of the World had waited for the Mail to be published on that Saturday night so they could "lift" key sections. The court has already heard that phone-hacker Glenn Mulcaire was accessing voicemails from the mobile phones of two Mail on Sunday journalists. "I had no idea about that," Coulson told the court, stating that as far as he knew none of the information the News of the World had on the story came from that source.
Coulson was then asked about an email exchange concerning celebrity Calum Best in which the former editor stated: "You think Calum a leak." The defendant said that this meant: "Is there a leak to Calum Best?" Judge Saunders then suggested "it's not the natural reading of that". "We often referred to things in terms of the story," Coulson replied.
Court then took a break while the next stage of evidence was prepared.
When the jury returned, Coulson called his first witness, Connal Austin, a cardiac surgeon. Austin told the court he has known the defendant for a number of years after their children attended the same school and they became "very close friends" and worked together in a charity that provides medical services in Sri-Lanka. In 2005, the witness told the court, the News of the World funded a trip to Sri-Lanka during which Austin carried out heart operations on a number of children. "Andy is very altruistic" he added. Finally, Austin told the court: "If you have a conversation with Andy, even after he has had a few drinks, he always remembers it." The witness then stepped down from the stand.
The next witness called was Belinda Sharrier, Coulson's former personal assistant at the News of the World. Sharrier told the court she began working for Coulson in 2002 when he was deputy editor of the paper and stayed with him until his resignation in January 2007. The witness told the court: "Basically, I ran his life, looked after credit cards, dinner with his wife, bits and pieces with his children." Asked if she had ever seen Coulson "bully any staff at the News of the World", Sharrier replied: "No, I did not," and described his management style as "very good". The PA told the court that to her knowledge the editor did not have a safe, although there was one in the managing editor's office.
The witness was then shown Coulson's 2005 desk diary and she confirmed that the writing in it was mostly her's or the deputy editor's PA. The court was then shown a page from 28 September 2005, during the Labour party conference, and she said that the appointments with senior government ministers listed for that day were made by her. Sharrier said that conference season was very much a "mobile feast" and meeting times were often changed by the "political guys, if I may call them that". The witness said that her impression of the diary notes, which contain "cxl" beside the meetings, was not that they were cancelled but instead the times had changed. "I'm sure they happened," Sharrier told the jury.
The former PA was then shown an email from Coulson to her from September 2006 in which he asked her to "discretely print off" the contents of his draft email folder. Sharrier told the court she did not remember the email but agreed she would have printed them off and put them in a folder. She said that she did not know what happened to them after that. The witness said that as far as she recalled, the draft folder would have contained "speeches, budgets and general info". After Coulson's resignation, the witness said she cleared his office of various personal items, including a "punchbag" and football shirts. Sharrier said that she took these home. Around two weeks later, Coulson visited her at home and took most of the items away with him.
Finally Sharrier was asked about her impressions of Coulson. "Amazing, brilliant, he was the best," she said.
Court then rose for lunch.