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| Andy Coulson: Scottish courtroom clash that led to detention at dawn | Andy Coulson: Scottish courtroom clash that led to detention at dawn |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| Andy Coulson was cool and succinct as he stood in the witness box at the high court in Glasgow 18 months ago. Smartly dressed, poised, the prime minister's then head of communications was a model of brisk, focused professionalism. | Andy Coulson was cool and succinct as he stood in the witness box at the high court in Glasgow 18 months ago. Smartly dressed, poised, the prime minister's then head of communications was a model of brisk, focused professionalism. |
| Coulson, now 44, was one of the most trusted figures in David Cameron's inner circle. He was being questioned as a defence witness by Tommy Sheridan, the socialist politician that his former newspaper had branded an adulterer, a hypocrite and a liar. The former Scottish Socialist party leader was on trial accused of perjury. This was 9 and 10 December 2010. In London, some 400 miles south, there were violent student protests taking place as Cameron's coalition government weathered the first serious backlash against its austerity programme. The Prince of Wales's car was attacked. Cameron railed against a "mob" acting in a "completely feral way." Glasgow was not where Coulson wanted to be. | Coulson, now 44, was one of the most trusted figures in David Cameron's inner circle. He was being questioned as a defence witness by Tommy Sheridan, the socialist politician that his former newspaper had branded an adulterer, a hypocrite and a liar. The former Scottish Socialist party leader was on trial accused of perjury. This was 9 and 10 December 2010. In London, some 400 miles south, there were violent student protests taking place as Cameron's coalition government weathered the first serious backlash against its austerity programme. The Prince of Wales's car was attacked. Cameron railed against a "mob" acting in a "completely feral way." Glasgow was not where Coulson wanted to be. |
| Sheridan had been accused by the News of the World of a series of extramarital affairs in several lurid stories during late 2004. Sheridan was conducting his own defence at Glasgow high court in 2010, in his words "fighting for his life" against charges that he had perjured himself in 2006 during his infamous libel trial against the NoW. He won £200,000 damages. | Sheridan had been accused by the News of the World of a series of extramarital affairs in several lurid stories during late 2004. Sheridan was conducting his own defence at Glasgow high court in 2010, in his words "fighting for his life" against charges that he had perjured himself in 2006 during his infamous libel trial against the NoW. He won £200,000 damages. |
| Criminal perjury trials are rare in Scotland and Sheridan's was to be the country's longest. In his closing speech, Sheridan referred to famous English perjury trials such as those of Jeffrey Archer and Jonathan Aitken. Perjurers can face unlimited imprisonment in Scotland. Sheridan was jailed for three years. ow free with a satellite tag and subject to a strict evening curfew, he served a year of his sentence in both Barlinnie prison, a Victorian jail in Glasgow, and then Castle Huntly open prison near Dundee, only a few miles from the North Sea. John Hamilton QC, a former crown counsel, or prosecutor, and now head of training for the Faculty of Advocates, the official body for Scotland's senior lawyers, said the courts took perjury extremely seriously. A major perjury case would be prosecuted quickly, reaching the courts well within a year. | Criminal perjury trials are rare in Scotland and Sheridan's was to be the country's longest. In his closing speech, Sheridan referred to famous English perjury trials such as those of Jeffrey Archer and Jonathan Aitken. Perjurers can face unlimited imprisonment in Scotland. Sheridan was jailed for three years. ow free with a satellite tag and subject to a strict evening curfew, he served a year of his sentence in both Barlinnie prison, a Victorian jail in Glasgow, and then Castle Huntly open prison near Dundee, only a few miles from the North Sea. John Hamilton QC, a former crown counsel, or prosecutor, and now head of training for the Faculty of Advocates, the official body for Scotland's senior lawyers, said the courts took perjury extremely seriously. A major perjury case would be prosecuted quickly, reaching the courts well within a year. |
| Someone convicted of lying on oath in a high court perjury case would face at least five years in jail. Even while facing other potential charges in another jurisdiction, Scottish prosecutors would insist on a speedy trial in Scotland. | Someone convicted of lying on oath in a high court perjury case would face at least five years in jail. Even while facing other potential charges in another jurisdiction, Scottish prosecutors would insist on a speedy trial in Scotland. |
| "If someone perjured themselves in a Scottish court, that makes it a wholly Scottish matter and it will be dealt with wholly by the Scottish authorities and the Scottish courts," he said. | "If someone perjured themselves in a Scottish court, that makes it a wholly Scottish matter and it will be dealt with wholly by the Scottish authorities and the Scottish courts," he said. |
| During two highly charged days of evidence, Coulson repeatedly and calmly denied Sheridan's allegations that he had been aware that Sheridan was an alleged victim of phone hacking by Glenn Mulcaire, the private detective retained by the News of the World. | During two highly charged days of evidence, Coulson repeatedly and calmly denied Sheridan's allegations that he had been aware that Sheridan was an alleged victim of phone hacking by Glenn Mulcaire, the private detective retained by the News of the World. |
| Coulson rejected Sheridan's claims that he had instructed his reporters to "practise the dark arts", and knew of the alleged "blagging" of confidential details about people's private lives when he edited the Sunday paper. | Coulson rejected Sheridan's claims that he had instructed his reporters to "practise the dark arts", and knew of the alleged "blagging" of confidential details about people's private lives when he edited the Sunday paper. |
| He denied, too, having an inappropriate relationship with the then senior Met commander Andy Hayman, or that he ran a newsroom where over half the reporters used an investigator to illegally access information. | He denied, too, having an inappropriate relationship with the then senior Met commander Andy Hayman, or that he ran a newsroom where over half the reporters used an investigator to illegally access information. |
| Referring to a highly critical report by the Commons culture, media and sport select committee about practices at the NoW, Sheridan put his central claim to Coulson: "A culture undoubtedly did exist in the newsroom of the NoW, which at the time turned a blind eye to illegal activities such as phone hacking and bugging and at worst actively condoned it, while you were editor." | Referring to a highly critical report by the Commons culture, media and sport select committee about practices at the NoW, Sheridan put his central claim to Coulson: "A culture undoubtedly did exist in the newsroom of the NoW, which at the time turned a blind eye to illegal activities such as phone hacking and bugging and at worst actively condoned it, while you were editor." |
| Coulson denied that. He insisted that he knew of only one, isolated case: the prosecution of his former royal editor, Clive Goodman, for intercepting messages for members of the royal family and other celebrities that ultimately led to his departure as NoW editor. | Coulson denied that. He insisted that he knew of only one, isolated case: the prosecution of his former royal editor, Clive Goodman, for intercepting messages for members of the royal family and other celebrities that ultimately led to his departure as NoW editor. |
| "I don't accept there was a culture of phone hacking at the NoW. There was a very unfortunate, to put it mildly, case involving Clive Goodman. No one was more sorry about it than me; that's why I resigned." There was no use of the "dark arts" at his title: "All I can tell you is that, as far as my reporters are concerned, the instructions were very clear: they were to work within the law and within the PCC [Press Complaints Commission] code. It's in their handbooks." | "I don't accept there was a culture of phone hacking at the NoW. There was a very unfortunate, to put it mildly, case involving Clive Goodman. No one was more sorry about it than me; that's why I resigned." There was no use of the "dark arts" at his title: "All I can tell you is that, as far as my reporters are concerned, the instructions were very clear: they were to work within the law and within the PCC [Press Complaints Commission] code. It's in their handbooks." |
| As Sheridan brandished heavily censored pages from Mulcaire's notebooks, showing occasions when Sheridan had been targeted, Coulson said: "I'm saying that I had absolutely no knowledge of it. | As Sheridan brandished heavily censored pages from Mulcaire's notebooks, showing occasions when Sheridan had been targeted, Coulson said: "I'm saying that I had absolutely no knowledge of it. |
| "I certainly didn't instruct anyone to do anything at the time or anything else which was untoward." | "I certainly didn't instruct anyone to do anything at the time or anything else which was untoward." |
| In fact, Coulson went further. He said he had never met, spoken to or emailed Mulcaire: "I hadn't heard of Glenn Mulcaire until after the [Goodman] court case." Despite his denials, his appearance at the Sheridan trial added to the pressure on Coulson. | In fact, Coulson went further. He said he had never met, spoken to or emailed Mulcaire: "I hadn't heard of Glenn Mulcaire until after the [Goodman] court case." Despite his denials, his appearance at the Sheridan trial added to the pressure on Coulson. |
| On 21 January 2011, he resigned as Cameron's director of communications, citing the intense scrutiny of his editorship. The hacking controversy prevented him giving "110%" to Cameron. "I stand by what I've said about those events but when the spokesman needs a spokesman, it's time to move on," he said. | On 21 January 2011, he resigned as Cameron's director of communications, citing the intense scrutiny of his editorship. The hacking controversy prevented him giving "110%" to Cameron. "I stand by what I've said about those events but when the spokesman needs a spokesman, it's time to move on," he said. |
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