Phone-hacking trial: 'Do his phone' and the prince's secretary

The court then heard from detective sergeant Guest, who was to be cross-examined by Andy Coulson's legal representative Timothy Langdale QC. The barrister asked the police officer to go through the details of "hacking calls" made by Glenn Mulcaire to the mobile number of Andy Coulson. These happened from 2005 until 2006 and pages of Mulcaire's notebook relating to the hack where then shown. DS Guest then stepped down from the witness box.

The jury was then taken through a timeline relating to Calum Best, the son of George Best, who the jury have already heard, the prosecution allege had his phone hacked by Glenn Mulcaire on behalf of the News of the World. Much of the evidence shown we cannot report at this time for legal reasons. The timeline includes an email exchange we have already seen from 20 May 2006 between defendant Andrew Coulson and News of the World journalist discussing Best. In the final mail of the exchange Coulson tells the journalist to "Do his phone".

Timothy Langdale for Coulson then rose to cross-examine the police witness presenting the evidence. He asked about the 'Do his phone' email. The barrister highlighted the start of the email chain where Coulson asks: "You think Callum a leak?" the journalist replies: "Callum bragging I have close mates inside Notw". He put it to the officer that if there was any evidence that Calum Best was targeted as a result of this email and if there was no evidence that his phone was hacked. The witness replied: "That's correct," adding however that Best's name does appear on convicted phone hacker Glenn Mulcaire's notebooks.

Langdale then brought another email into evidence from April 2006 from Coulson to various News of the World journalists stating: "We have an appalling lack of kiss and tells.... we are scraping the bottom of the barrel with opera girls, calum etc..where are the new names?" and asked the police officer if he had found this on his original search. The officer replied no, and accepted it was something he should have noticed sooner.

The barrister put it to the witness that may suggest Coulson may have not been interested in stories about Best. The witness replied he "could only apologise for not picking it up", but added that stories about Best had subsequently appeared in the paper. The officer suggested that he had never used "Calum" as a keyword in his search until later on in his investigation. The witness then stepped down from the stand.

The court then took a short break while legal matters were discussed.

The next witness called was Sir Michael Peat, the principle private secretary to Prince Charles from 2002 to 2011. Mark Bryant-Heron QC, for the prosecution, showed Peat a page from phone hacker Glenn Mulcaire's notebooks. The witness confirmed that the telephone number and address shown on the screen were his. Another page from Mulcaire's notebook, with the word "affair" written on it was shown to the witness and Bryant-Heron asked Peat if he was in fact having an affair in 2003? The witness replied "what is the relevance of that question?" and refused to answer. Then the jury was asked to leave the court while a legal matter was discussed.

When the jury returned Mr Justice Saunders told them that as Sir Michael had chosen not to answer the previous question as it was personal and not relevant. The judge told the court that after reflection he agreed with the witness but added that "no blame could be attached to the person asking the question". Bryant-Heron told the court that he, in fact, had no further questions and sat down.

David Spens QC, for Clive Goodman, then rose to cross-examine Peat and asked about a witness statement the witness had made that it was "a fairly long-standing practice of staff and police selling to sell copies of the green book to the press". Peat told the court he did not "know this to be the case, but understood it to be the case", as it was a widely distributed document sent to hundreds of people and it would be surprising if it did not get "out and about". He added: "Not every member of staff, there would not be enough copies to go around if that happened."

Peat was asked if there was a distinction between those in the Royal household and staff, he replied this was much like "ranks in the army". Asked how many staff worked in the household, Peat said he "guessed" four to five hundred although their may also have been personal staff. The witness agreed that there were also many police officers not directly employed by the Royals. "It could be one or it could be another," he said. Peat also told the court he had taken his own home address out of the directory for this reason.

The witness was then asked if he had a country home. Peat replied he had lived in many country homes and was "pretty much average in this respect". Spens asked if the witness was in the habit of going for a walk on Saturday, to which Peat replied that he had to work on a Saturday. Asked if he had a habit of phoning his wife from a phone box after a walk, the witness responded that as he didn't go on these walks he would hardly be using a phone box. Spens began by suggesting that he may have used a phone box on some occasions but before he could finish his question Mr Justice Saunders intervened and saying that whatever the suggestion was the answer was going to be no, leading to laughter in court.

Spens then asked Peat if he believed that the media was "hostile" to Prince Charles. He responded that he did not agree with that. He did agree there were efforts to make the press office more effective and he had spoken both to Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson at press conferences and at their offices. The witness did not recall, however, seeing Clive Goodman at a meeting or giving him his mobile phone number although,he agreed, it was "not inconceivable".

The jury then left the court for the day.

The Trial continues tomorrow, all of the remaining defendants deny all of the charges.

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