SPECIAL REPORT PHONE-HACKING SCANDAL: TRIAL AND ERROR 1 THE PHONE-HACKING ScanDAL TRIAL AND ERROR A Special Report by Adam Macqueen TWO WEEKS AGO – just hours after the last issue of the Eye few days after news of her staff hacking Milly Dowler emerged, went to press – a jury of her peers found Rebekah Brooks not and the hiding of computer equipment and other material from guilty of all charges in her eight-month trial, while deciding that police searching her Cotswold and London homes. Andy Coulson knew all about the widespread phone-hacking at But during her 13 days in the witness box, Brooks did admit the News of the World during both their editorships. that several specific actions she had taken both as Sun editor As well as declaring that Brooks had no knowledge of her staff and chief executive of News International had been aimed at hacking phones or paying public officials on the Sun, the jury also preventing the full extent of the phone-hacking conspiracy at unanimously cleared her of charges of conspiracy to pervert the the News of the World from becoming public – even though, as course of justice regarding the removal of seven boxes marked as she insisted, she did not believe at the time that the claims she containing her notebooks from the News International archive a was trying to cover up were true. had discussed the Blunkett story with would plead guilty two months later. Coulson before it was published, she was Brooks told her colleagues that she WHAT REBEKAH “absolutely not” told about its provenance – believed there was not too much to worry but she certainly knew from 2006 onwards about: although police “do have GM’s phone that evidence existed of a more widespread records which show sequences of contacts DID… phone-hacking conspiracy at the News of the with News of the World before and after World, because the police told her about it. accesses… obviously they don’t have the Ignored information that others In September that year – just a month after content of the calls so this is at best at the News of the World were the arrests of Goodman and Mulcaire – circumstantial.” involved in phone hacking in Brooks received a two-hour briefing from Brooks – a company woman through and addition to those originally police about the investigation, thanks to the through – declined a request to appear as a charged with the offence fact that her own voicemails had been prosecution witness at Mulcaire’s trial, Even the bare minimum that Andy Coulson accessed by Mulcaire. She told the court that because of “the complexities that would was forced to admit in the witness box – that she was concerned “from a corporate view to have caused on a corporate level”. But she he had been played recordings of then home know where the police were. Journalists are did admit under cross-examination that secretary David Blunkett’s voicemails to his curious creatures by nature. I went in hoping from this point on she was aware that police girlfriend Kimberly Quinn by Neville to discover the latest from the horse’s mouth.” suspected a criminal conspiracy at the News Thurlbeck in August 2004, and that he had Her account of the meeting, which she of the World that went way beyond the turned them into a front page splash – made immediately shared not just with Coulson “single rogue reporter” the company would it clear that a number of senior figures at but with other senior News International admit to for the next four and a half years. News International knew the phone hacking executives including Rupert Murdoch, was Despite this, both then and when she conspiracy went beyond Clive Goodman and that police had details of 100 to 110 victims, became CEO three years later, Brooks went Glenn Mulcaire. He said that he shared that but were “not widening the case to cover along with the company lie (shurely “line”? information with a lawyer at the company – other NotW journalists, but would if Ed) that no one other than Clive Goodman at who kept the Blunkett tapes in his safe – and evidence emerged”. She also passed on the the News of the World had been involved a senior News International executive, an names of a number of other suspected with Mulcaire’s hacking. She told the court account that was backed up by Thurlbeck victims, including Tessa Jowell, Hugh Grant, that despite learning, either through the himself in mitigation presented to the court Jemima Khan, John Prescott and his mistress police meeting or in the course of “internal last week following his own guilty plea. Tracey Temple – and Blunkett and Quinn. investigations” at the company, that the Brooks, then still Rebekah Wade and None of these victims featured in the limited phone-hacker’s employment had begun editing the Sun, testified that although she charges to which Goodman and Mulcaire during her own editorship of the paper, è 2 SPECIAL REPORT PHONE-hacking ScanDAL: TRIAL AND ERROR she had not asked any further questions disgraced hacker out to lunch to offer THE GUILTY MEN about his activities: “I thought he had been him a job. This, Brooks admitted to the paid for legitimate private detective work.” court, was a straightforward attempt to In sentencing Coulson, the judge said In the witness box she tried to claim that prevent Goodman from going through with that although his actions were the “horse’s mouth” evidence she had been an embarrassing public employment “unforgivable... there is no evidence that offered by police had been superseded by tribunal at which he was threatening to air Mr Coulson played any part in the statements made at the subsequent trial that the truth about Coulson and “pretty much cover-up that occurred after his hacking “had been confined to Clive everybody who had a senior role” on the resignation” in 2007 Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire. I can’t News of the World’s involvement in phone remember if the judge said it but I remember hacking. It came after a discussion with an it being out there in the public domain that executive at News International who the that was the end of it.” The prosecution, jury was told knew about Thurlbeck’s however, forced her to admit that she must hacking, at which it was decided that: “I have known at the time that on the contrary, was the right person to speak to Clive and ANDY Mr Justice Gross had pointed out that in find a middle way.” COULSON several cases the hacker had “not dealt with Brooks insisted in the witness box that: 18 months Goodman but with others at News “I don’t think anyone, me included, thought International” and Goodman’s own NI- the allegations by Clive had any basis” at funded lawyer had argued that “whoever the time; but “there was concern at News else may be involved at the News of the International that a line had been drawn World, his involvement is so limited.” under the episode and the company felt Despite all this inside knowledge, Brooks that… to go through an embarrassing insisted that when she took over as CEO employment tribunal would lead to a series three years later, she had not felt any need to of damaging headlines.” make any further inquiries about the extent Goodman rejected her offer, and instead of phone hacking on the grounds that “other the company ended up paying him £153,000 people had made statements about it… there to settle his claim and stop the names coming wasn’t any need to do any more out. Brooks denied being told any details of investigation.” This is extraordinary. the settlement, although “I’m sure my Brooks was appointed CEO in June 2009, natural curiosity would have made me ask.” GREG MISKIW although she did not start the job until 1 Six months September. In July, the Guardian had carried Paid to halt legal proceedings accurate details of a wallet-busting secret that would have revealed the settlement with victim Gordon Taylor and names of other phone-hackers the fact that phone-hacking victims ran into at the News of the World in 2010 the thousands, which NI denied in a bullish In January 2010, not long after she had been statement: “All of these irresponsible and made CEO, Brooks personally negotiated the unsubstantiated allegations against the News settlement of a civil action with phone of the World and its journalists are false.” hacking victim Max Clifford in order to The revelations kicked off a further prevent Glenn Mulcaire being forced to round of police, parliamentary and Press name staff on the paper who had instructed Complaints Commission investigations, him to hack phones. NEVILLE with Brooks being invited as CEO-in-waiting As what she admitted in court was “a THURLBECK to appear in front of the Commons culture damage limitation” strategy, Brooks offered Six months select committee “to resolve inconsistencies to settle with Clifford in return for a in [News International’s] evidence”. She £200,000 retainer for which he would declined, leaving NotW editor Colin Myler “represent the Sun/do business for the and an NI lawyer to face the MPs, who later Sun”. She agreed with colleagues that ruled that they “deliberately avoided nothing should be put in writing because it disclosing crucial information to the “would look terrible if seen to be ‘buying committee and, when asked to do, answered off’ Max”. A note of the meeting records questions falsely”. that “she could physically turn up with JAMES The company had at this point for more cash this evening.” A deal was eventually WEATHERUP than a year been in possession not just of an done with Clifford for £1m.