Phone-hacking trial: Jury begins seventh day of deliberations
Parties at the trial of Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson and six others were called back to court this morning to see the bailiff sworn in and the jury retiring to their room to continue considering their verdict.
The Grand Hall at the Old Bailey
Coulson and Brooks, both former editors of the now defunct News of the World, are facing charges of conspiring to illegally intercept voicemails and committing misconduct in a public office. Brooks also faces two additional charges of conspiracy to pervert the course of public justice, along with her husband Charlie and former PA Cheryl Carter.
The trial, which at 138 days is now one of the longest in English criminal history, has heard evidence about the hacking of the voicemails of hundreds of senior politicians, members of the royal family and celebrities. The court has also been shown part of an unsent letter from Brooks to Coulson confessing to "periods of intimacy" between the two which the prosecution have argued is evidence of of their close relationship.
The world's media remain gathered at the Old Bailey ready for the Tannoy announcement that will summon them back into court to hear the jury's decision. "As time goes on it's starting to get harder to remain on tenterhooks all the time," one senior foreign correspondent told The Drum.
The trial continues.