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Phone hacking trial: Jury told of Mulcaire emails Phone-hacking trial: Jury told of Mulcaire emails
(35 minutes later)
The jury in the phone hacking trial has been told of three emails disclosed by News International which launched the police investigation in 2011. The jury in the phone-hacking trial has been told of three emails disclosed by News International which caused police to launch an investigation in 2011.
They were from private investigator Glenn Mulcaire to ex-News of the World head of news Ian Edmondson.They were from private investigator Glenn Mulcaire to ex-News of the World head of news Ian Edmondson.
It is alleged they concerned hacking phones linked to Tessa Jowell and David Mills, Lord Frederick Windsor and an adviser to John Prescott.It is alleged they concerned hacking phones linked to Tessa Jowell and David Mills, Lord Frederick Windsor and an adviser to John Prescott.
Eight defendants deny charges including conspiracy to intercept communications.Eight defendants deny charges including conspiracy to intercept communications.
The first message, on 20 April 2006, referred to MP Tessa Jowell and her husband Mr Mills, at a time when he had been accused of involvement in bribery linked to former Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi.The first message, on 20 April 2006, referred to MP Tessa Jowell and her husband Mr Mills, at a time when he had been accused of involvement in bribery linked to former Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi.
It said: "Substantial traffic both ways, also looks like she's selling up."It said: "Substantial traffic both ways, also looks like she's selling up."
Prosecutor Andrew Edis QC told the jury: "You're going to have to decide in Mr Edmondson's case what you make of that, whether it can possibly mean anything at all other that 'I've been phone-hacking Tessa, and this is what I've found out'."Prosecutor Andrew Edis QC told the jury: "You're going to have to decide in Mr Edmondson's case what you make of that, whether it can possibly mean anything at all other that 'I've been phone-hacking Tessa, and this is what I've found out'."
Another message, from April 27 2006, referred to Lord Frederick Windsor, and contained a reference to "press * and Pin", which prosecutors say was Mulcaire telling Mr Edmondson how to hack a phone. Another message, from 27 April 2006, referred to Lord Frederick Windsor, son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and contained a reference to "press * and Pin", which prosecutors say was Mulcaire telling Mr Edmondson how to hack a phone.
The third email referred to an adviser to former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott, who was at the centre of a publicity storm because he was accused of having an affair.The third email referred to an adviser to former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott, who was at the centre of a publicity storm because he was accused of having an affair.
The jury has also been told senior figures at the now-defunct newspaper would have been involved in the decision to give Mulcaire a written contract in September 2001. Prosecutors claim that Mr Edmondson must have known that Mulcaire was hacking phones.
Mr Edis said that, other than a few "taskings" by the NoTW in 1999, the first dated instruction to Mulcaire was 8 January 2001. Referring to the alleged targeting of MP Ms Jowell and her husband Mr Mills, Mr Edis said: "We know what Mr Mulcaire was doing, he was phone hacking.
An investigations team was set up by Rebekah Brooks when she became editor, and both Mulcaire and former NoW journalist Greg Miskiw, who has also pleaded guilty to hacking, were part of it. "Look how much contact there is at this time between Mr Edmondson and Mr Mulcaire. Do you think it is likely or even possible that Mr Edmondson did not know what was being done by Mr Mulcaire?"
The jury heard Mulcaire was paid a weekly fee until September 2001 when he moved onto a written contract - worth around £100,000 a year. Mr Edis went on: "This was an important story. It wasn't something that was stuck after the letters page, this was big stuff."
The prosecutor said it was the editor's duty to ask "How do I know this information is true?" when stories were going to appear in the newspaper.
"Mr Coulson was editor at this time," he told the jury.
'Hacked rivals'
The jury then heard the NoW tried to get a "scoop" about Lord Prescott's affair with his secretary Tracey Temple in April 2006.
Mr Edis described a series of phone calls, emails, and phone hacks that he said demonstrated Mulcaire trying to get information.
The jury also heard that journalists at the paper, including James Weatherup - who has already pleaded guilty to hacking charges - and Mr Coulson, discussed trying to contact Ms Temple to offer her £100,000 for her story.
He said records showed that they then tried to hack the phone of Lord Prescott's special adviser Joan Hammell.
The court was told the NoW also hacked journalists from rival paper the Mail on Sunday to find out what information they had on the story.
Earlier, jurors were played a recording of Mulcaire getting a voicemail password reset by mobile phone company 02 - a method it is alleged could be used to access people's voicemails.
Mr Edis QC told the court: "He really knows how it works, he knows the right things to say, and he is quite chatty and she doesn't seem at all troubled."
The jury has also been told senior figures at the now-defunct newspaper would have been involved in the decision to give Mulcaire a written contract in September 2001- worth around £100,000 a year.
"It is if course part of the prosecution case that a contract like that, a big contract, involves the senior management, in this case the editor, the deputy editor and the managing editor, the three defendants whom you have to try for phone hacking in addition to Mr Edmondson - that is Rebekah Brooks, Andrew Coulson and Stuart Kuttner," Mr Edis said."It is if course part of the prosecution case that a contract like that, a big contract, involves the senior management, in this case the editor, the deputy editor and the managing editor, the three defendants whom you have to try for phone hacking in addition to Mr Edmondson - that is Rebekah Brooks, Andrew Coulson and Stuart Kuttner," Mr Edis said.
"It was not hidden from anybody that he was being paid all that money because of course the money has to go through an accounting system, it is budgeted for, it's seen."It was not hidden from anybody that he was being paid all that money because of course the money has to go through an accounting system, it is budgeted for, it's seen.
"The question is, didn't anybody ever ask, what are we paying this chap for?""The question is, didn't anybody ever ask, what are we paying this chap for?"
Mr Edis added: "So what was it that he was doing? Well, we know that he was a phone hacker and we know that he was a good one, and we know that he was an accomplished blagger."