Phone-hacking trial begins: the defendants and the charges in detail
Today (Monday 28 October) the trial of “R v Rebekah Brooks and Others” begins at the Old Bailey.
Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson
The allegations which will be laid out before a jury of widespread phone-hacking and corruption caused a public outcry and prompted the UK government to announce the Leveson inquiry and the current proposals for press regulation.
In addition, the case has possible political implications for prime minister David Cameron as Andrew Coulson, who is among the number standing trial, became his director of communications at number 10 Downing St and a key advisor following his time at the now defunct paper.
The Drum will be reporting the trial, in depth, from inside and outside the court.
In addition to Brooks and Coulson, six other people will be in the dock: Ian Edmonson, Stuart Kuttner, Clive Goodman, Cheryl Carter, Charles Brooks and Mark Hanna.
Ms Brooks faces five charges related to allegations of “conspiracy to intercept communications, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office".
The communications referred to are voicemail messages of “well-known people”. The director of public prosecutions has a “schedule” of over 600 people whom the prosecution will say are the victims of this offence.
A partial list released last year included murder victim Milly Dowler, a 7/7 bomb survivor and a trade union leader. There are also politicians, such as John Prescott, David Blunkett and Charles Clark. Celebrities including Paul McCartney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Delia Smith and Wayne Rooney were also named.
The defendants deny the charges and the trial is expected to last three months.
DEFENDANTS
Rebekah Brooks
Editor News of the World 2000-2003; Sun 2003-2009; chief executive News International 2009-2011
Andrew Coulson
Editor News of the World 2003-2007; Conservative Party director of communications 2007-2010; government director of communications 2010-2011
Ian Edmonson
News editor, News of the World, 2004-2011
Stuart Kuttner
Managing editor, News of the World, 1980-2009
Clive Goodman
Former royal editor, News of the World
Cheryl Carter
Former personal assistant to Rebekah Brooks
Mark Hanna
Former head of security, News International
Charlie Brooks
Racehorse trainer
INDICTMENT
REGINA V Ian Edmondson, Rebekah Brooks, Andrew Coulson, Stuart Kuttner, Clive Goodman, Cheryl Carter, Charles Brooks and Mark Hanna
The charges are as follows:-
Count 1
STATEMENT OF OFFENCE
Conspiracy to intercept communications in the course of their transmission without lawful authority, contrary to section 1(1) of the Criminal law Act 1977.
PARTICULARS OF OFFENCE
IAN EDMONDSON, REBEKAH BROOKS, ANDREW COULSON and STUART KUTTNER between 3 October 2000 and 9 August 2006 conspired together, and with Glenn Mulcaire, Clive Goodman, Greg Miskiw, Neville Thurlbeck, James Weatherup and persons unknown, to intercept, without lawful authority, communications in the course of their transmission by means of a public telecommunications system, namely mobile phone voicemail messages.
Count 2
STATEMENT OF OFFENCE
Conspiracy to commit Misconduct in Public Office, contrary to section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977.
PARTICULARS OF OFFENCE
CLIVE GOODMAN and ANDREW COULSON, between the 31st August 2002 and the 31st January 2003, conspired together and with persons unknown to commit misconduct in public office.
Count 3
STATEMENT OF OFFENCE
Conspiracy to commit Misconduct in Public Office, contrary to section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977.
PARTICULARS OF OFFENCE
CLIVE GOODMAN and ANDREW COULSON, between 31 January 2005 and 3 June 2005, conspired together and with persons unknown to commit misconduct in public office.
Count 4
STATEMENT OF OFFENCE
Conspiracy to commit Misconduct in Public Office, contrary to section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977.
PARTICULARS OF OFFENCE
REBEKAH BROOKS between 1 January 2004 and 31 January 2012, conspired with John Kay, Fergus Shanahan, Geoffrey Webster and Bettina Jordan-Barber and persons unknown to commit misconduct in public office.
Count 5
STATEMENT OF OFFENCE
Conspiracy to commit Misconduct in Public Office, contrary to section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977.
PARTICULARS OF OFFENCE
REBEKAH BROOKS, between 9 February 2006 and 16 October 2008, conspired with Duncan Larcombe, John Hardy and Claire Hardy and with persons unknown to commit misconduct in public office.
Count 6
STATEMENT OF OFFENCE
Conspiracy To Pervert The Course Of Justice, contrary to Section 1(1) Criminal Law Act 1977
PARTICULARS OF OFFENCE
REBEKAH BROOKS and CHERYL CARTER between 6 July 2011 and 9 July 2011 conspired together to do a series of acts which had a tendency to and were intended to pervert the course of public justice, namely permanently to remove seven boxes of archived material from the archive of News International.
Count 7
STATEMENT OF OFFENCE
Conspiracy To Pervert The Course Of Justice, contrary to Section 1(1) Criminal Law Act 1977
PARTICULARS OF OFFENCE
REBEKAH BROOKS, CHARLES BROOKS and MARK HANNA, between the 15 July 2011 and the 19 July 2011 conspired together and with Lee Sandell, David Johnson, Daryl Jorsling, Paul Edwards and persons unknown to do an act or a series of acts which had a tendency to and were intended to pervert the course of justice, namely to conceal documents, computers, and other electronic equipment from officers of the Metropolitan Police Service who were investigating allegations of phone hacking and corruption of public officials in relation to the News of the World and The Sun newspapers.
INDICTMENT ENDS
Partial list of alleged hacking victims released by the director of public prosecutions in July 2012
Milly Dowler
Abigail Titmuss and John Leslie
Andrew Gilchrist
The Rt Hon David Blunkett MP
Delia Smith
The Rt Hon Charles Clarke
Jude Law, Sadie Frost and Sienna Miller
Wayne Rooney
Calum Best
The Rt Hon Dame Tessa Jowell MP and David Mills
The Rt Hon Lord Prescott
Professor John Tulloch
Lord Frederick Windsor
Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
David Mills