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Phone-hacking trial: The phone hacker, the phone prankster and 'matey'

By James Doleman

March 18, 2014 | 7 min read

    Prince Harry

  • Kate Middleton's phone hacked by News of the World, Goodman alleges
  • Coulson warned reporters "we don't talk about this stuff in conference"
  • Police did not seize Goodman's computer after he was arrested in 2006
  • When court resumed David Spens QC continued his examination of his client, former News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman, on his knowledge of the illegal interception of voicemails by journalists and a private detective employed by the newspaper. Goodman has already admitted his own involvement and spent four months in prison for the offence in 2007.

    The defence QC opened the afternoon session by asking the defendant about the source of a January 2006 News of the World article, "Prince William's secret party." Goodman said the story came from "hacking by Glenn Mulcaire" and the paper paid him £1,000 for it. An email to then editor Andy Coulson in relation to the story informed him that the story came from "our new source". Goodman told the court that this referred to Mulcaire. Another story about what photos Prince William had by his bed at Sandhurst was also the result of a hack, Goodman said. "Nice stories," Judge Saunders remarked. In another January email Goodman tells Coulson: "I'll have the list of Matey's results later this morning." Matey, Goodman alleges, was the code name for Mulcaire. Goodman then went through a number of other 2006 articles from the News of the World relating to Prince William at Sandhurst and testified they were all sourced from hacking the phone of Kate Middleton or others associated with the prince.

    In February 2006 Goodman sent another email to Coulson about "Alexander", stating in part: "This contact has become increasingly productive over recent weeks, we are the only paper getting information about William at Sandhurst, this sort of information is not manageable on a story by story basis". Matey, the email went on, "is not a hack and doesn't realise what makes a story or not. A few weeks ago you asked me to find new ways to get information on the family and I have, it's safe productive and cost effective, I'm sure it will become a story goldmine for us." Goodman told the court that in August 2005 Coulson had told him he was "under-performing" and that he needed to produce more stories about "the younger members of the royal family". The younger Royals were, Goodman said, "going to nightclubs, getting girlfriends, all the things younger people do." This he said, "made life difficult, at my age I could hardly stash myself in a nightclub, I had to find new methods."

    Stens told the court that Glenn Mulcaire was paid £12,300 under the name Alexander split between fifteen £500 payments from the editorial budget with the remainder coming from the newsdesk budget. These were approved by managing editor Stuart Kuttner. Financial records from News International were shown to the jury showing the payments were made in this period. Goodman told the court he was not involved in any discussions between Coulson and Kuttner but he spoke to Kuttner on a later date and had given him the details of "who was to be paid, and how".

    Goodman then told the court about another News of the World journalist, who cannot be named for legal reasons, who told him that in editorial conferences with Coulson "phones would often come up in discussion". At one, the defendant testified, there was discussion about tracking down a lottery winner and there was discussion of "triangulating him from his mobile phone signal". Coulson, the witness said he was told, told the meeting: "That's enough of that, we don't talk about this stuff in conference any more."

    Another transcript of a voicemail was then shown to the jury. This was a call from Prince William to Prince Harry where he puts on a "female voice" and says Harry is the "best looking ginger I've ever seen, I look forward to seeing you soon, you big fat hairy ginger." A story from the 9 April 2006 News of the World quoting the voicemail was bylined Clive Goodman. The defendant confirmed that this story too came from the hacking of Prince Harry's phone by Glenn Mulcaire who then passed on the information to him.

    Goodman was asked how he made his transcripts of voicemails. The defendant said he did them on his office computer and told the court this was not seized by police when he was arrested as News International had successfully argued it contained "legitimate journalistic materials". The emails given in evidence, the court was told, were copies kept by Goodman himself after he was arrested, which he later used in evidence for his claim of unfair dismissal.

    The final email between Goodman and Coulson was from 26 July 2006 about a story on Kate Middleton. In the mail Goodman states the source is "that fella who used to be on a monthly retainer for us, rock solid". Asked what he meant by this, he said: "Once I mention where it comes from he will know it's fact." The defendant was asked who the story came from, and confirmed the source was "voicemail interception".

    The defence barrister then moved on to what he described as the last topic of the day, the prosecution assertion that the information in the royal phone directories could be used for phone hacking. Goodman agreed that he had the mobile number of Prince Charles' secretary Sir Michael Peat, but had been given this by Peat himself. In an email to Coulson from 2006 Goodman describes Peat as a "difficult person to follow" as he "sometimes rode around in a Bentley and sometimes cycled around London". The defendant told the court the email had been sent as the paper had received a tip-off that Peat was having an extra-marital affair and a team of reporters, led by Greg Miskiw, was investigating the allegation.

    The court was shown a page from Mulcaire's notebook showing he was tasked to hack Peat's phone. Goodman told the court that he was not in contact with Mulcaire in January 2003 and had not given the number to Miskiw. Asked who would have tasked Miskiw, Goodman said "the editor, Andy Coulson." Judge Saunders then intervened and reminded the jury that there was no evidence that Miskiw was instructed to organise the phone hacking by anyone and "may have done so on his own initiative". Goodman told the court that he did not buy the royal "green book" directory until after January 2003 so could not have given the information to Miskiw. Goodman said he "never supplied the information in the green book to anyone", adding: "It was valuable information you wouldn't wan't to give out."

    Court then rose for the day.

    All of the defendants deny all of the charges, the trial continues.

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