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| Senior Met officer contacted NoW in anger over phone-hacking inquiry | Senior Met officer contacted NoW in anger over phone-hacking inquiry |
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| A senior Metropolitan police officer contacted the News of the World about the launch of a new phone-hacking inquiry because she was angry that counter-terrorism resources that helped save lives were to be diverted to the investigation, a court has heard. | A senior Metropolitan police officer contacted the News of the World about the launch of a new phone-hacking inquiry because she was angry that counter-terrorism resources that helped save lives were to be diverted to the investigation, a court has heard. |
| Detective Chief Inspector April Casburn, who was manager of the national financial investigations team within the counter-terrorism unit (SO15) of Scotland Yard, denies misconduct in public office over her actions. | Detective Chief Inspector April Casburn, who was manager of the national financial investigations team within the counter-terrorism unit (SO15) of Scotland Yard, denies misconduct in public office over her actions. |
| On Tuesday she described to Southwark crown court a macho atmosphere within the command and told how she was bullied for two years within the force before eventually signing off sick as a result. She told female colleagues in SO15 that it was "like [the TV detective show] Life on Mars in the 21st century". | On Tuesday she described to Southwark crown court a macho atmosphere within the command and told how she was bullied for two years within the force before eventually signing off sick as a result. She told female colleagues in SO15 that it was "like [the TV detective show] Life on Mars in the 21st century". |
| As such, she said, she was not an influential member of the unit, which was made up of men who golfed, drank and had coffee together. So after attending a meeting on 10 September 2010 in which she learned that counter-terrorism resources from her unit were being diverted to a new phone-hacking inquiry, she said she felt unable to speak up about the decision and went to the press. | As such, she said, she was not an influential member of the unit, which was made up of men who golfed, drank and had coffee together. So after attending a meeting on 10 September 2010 in which she learned that counter-terrorism resources from her unit were being diverted to a new phone-hacking inquiry, she said she felt unable to speak up about the decision and went to the press. |
| "I felt sufficiently strongly that we should not have been doing this," she said. "We should not be diverting resources that are to do with saving lives on what I found out was probably going to be a bit of a jolly, especially because of the way my colleagues were talking about it. It made me really angry." | "I felt sufficiently strongly that we should not have been doing this," she said. "We should not be diverting resources that are to do with saving lives on what I found out was probably going to be a bit of a jolly, especially because of the way my colleagues were talking about it. It made me really angry." |
| Casburn said that at the meeting one of her colleagues, Detective Chief Superintendent Clive Timmons, had entered the room in a light-hearted manner and said: "Yatesy [the then assistant commissioner, John Yates] has relaunched the hacking enquiry". | Casburn said that at the meeting one of her colleagues, Detective Chief Superintendent Clive Timmons, had entered the room in a light-hearted manner and said: "Yatesy [the then assistant commissioner, John Yates] has relaunched the hacking enquiry". |
| "There followed some discussion regarding the use of intelligence development teams and some of my staff, and the fact that there would potentially be lots of victims and there was a palpable sense of excitement … about who would get to go and see Sienna Miller …," she said. "They thought it was a bit of a jolly … a bit of fun, that they could travel and could see famous people." | "There followed some discussion regarding the use of intelligence development teams and some of my staff, and the fact that there would potentially be lots of victims and there was a palpable sense of excitement … about who would get to go and see Sienna Miller …," she said. "They thought it was a bit of a jolly … a bit of fun, that they could travel and could see famous people." |
| Casburn, who joined the financial investigations unit in 2009, was arrested in December 2011. At the time she was signed off sick for work-related stress as a result of bullying she had suffered for almost two years, she said. | Casburn, who joined the financial investigations unit in 2009, was arrested in December 2011. At the time she was signed off sick for work-related stress as a result of bullying she had suffered for almost two years, she said. |
| The crown has alleged that she asked the newspaper for payment, producing as evidence an email from the reporter who took the call, Tim Woods. He stated to senior colleagues that a senior officer had offered "to sell information" to the paper about the investigation. | The crown has alleged that she asked the newspaper for payment, producing as evidence an email from the reporter who took the call, Tim Woods. He stated to senior colleagues that a senior officer had offered "to sell information" to the paper about the investigation. |
| The crown alleges Casburn told Wood that the paper's former editor Andy Coulson and former reporter Sean Hoare were among six individuals being investigated and spoke of the difficulty police faced in proving an offence of illegal interception of phone messages. | The crown alleges Casburn told Wood that the paper's former editor Andy Coulson and former reporter Sean Hoare were among six individuals being investigated and spoke of the difficulty police faced in proving an offence of illegal interception of phone messages. |
| Casburn said she never asked for payment in the call made on her mobile phone on the morning of 11 September 2010, and that she never passed on anything that was not already in the public domain. | Casburn said she never asked for payment in the call made on her mobile phone on the morning of 11 September 2010, and that she never passed on anything that was not already in the public domain. |
| In a written statement read to the court she said she was financially stable and had £30,000 in premium bonds, £20,000 of savings with her partner and was about to receive £45,000 in a divorce settlement, so had no need to ask for money. | In a written statement read to the court she said she was financially stable and had £30,000 in premium bonds, £20,000 of savings with her partner and was about to receive £45,000 in a divorce settlement, so had no need to ask for money. |
| She told the jury she regretted making the call, but said: "I believe that in some circumstances it may be the only option that is open to an individual, and in some circumstances I think it is right to go to the press, actually, because they do expose wrongdoing and they do expose poor decisions." | She told the jury she regretted making the call, but said: "I believe that in some circumstances it may be the only option that is open to an individual, and in some circumstances I think it is right to go to the press, actually, because they do expose wrongdoing and they do expose poor decisions." |
| Casburn said her unit was overstretched. "The CT command is busy and my team is particularly busy because we have a supporting function as well as running our own cases and I felt very strongly that we should not be doing hacking. In fact, whenever we were diverted from doing cases I felt we should not be. Our function was to prevent terrorist attacks." | Casburn said her unit was overstretched. "The CT command is busy and my team is particularly busy because we have a supporting function as well as running our own cases and I felt very strongly that we should not be doing hacking. In fact, whenever we were diverted from doing cases I felt we should not be. Our function was to prevent terrorist attacks." |
| Casburn described working within the ultra-male environment of counter-terrorism, where a number of male officers had worked and socialised together for years. She said she had difficulties with her manager, Detective Superintendent Christos Kalamantianous: "The overriding sense was that he was trying to get rid of me." | Casburn described working within the ultra-male environment of counter-terrorism, where a number of male officers had worked and socialised together for years. She said she had difficulties with her manager, Detective Superintendent Christos Kalamantianous: "The overriding sense was that he was trying to get rid of me." |
| Casburn was the only woman in the 60-strong financial investigations unit and the court heard that she did not have her own office even though four detective constables under her command did." | |
| The case continues. | |