Rebekah Brooks's PA Deborah Keegan had meetings with defendant, jury told

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/09/rebekah-brooks-pa-deborah-keegan-phone-hacking-trial

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Rebekah Brooks's former personal assistant has confirmed she met one of the defendants in the phone-hacking trial on five or six occasions before giving evidence this week.

Deborah Keegan said on Thursday she met Cheryl Carter, a close friend and former colleague, after she was given the "green light" by News UK, formerly News International, the publisher of the Sun and "led to believe that was the correct way to go about things".

During examination by the prosecution, Keegan said she had informal lunches or drinks with Carter, the former executive assistant to Brooks who has been charged with conspiring to pervert the course of justice by allegedly concealing seven boxes of notepads from the police two days before the Sunday tabloid closed in 2011.

Keegan added she had not met Carter on a "one to one" basis and had not discussed the case with her former colleague. The meetings took place after she had given her statement to police on 9 November 2011.

The jury has already heard that Keegan and her family were close friends of Carter and her family, having established a good relationship over many years at the Sun where they both worked for Brooks.

Andrew Edis QC, counsel for prosecution, asked Keegan who had arranged the meetings. She said they were fixed up by Carter's lawyer, Henri Brandman, initially, and were always chaperoned.

Sally Brook, who Keegan described as a "journalist" who had been acting as "support for arrestees at the Sun", attended the meetings "latterly".

Asked by Edis who had given her the "green light" for the meetings, Keegan said it was Kathleen Harris, an outside lawyer who has been working for News UK.

He repeatedly asked her about her communication with Carter and whether she had asked the Crown Prosecution Service or the police if she could meet her.

As tension built in court 12 at the Old Bailey, the judge, Mr Justice Saunders, intervened, asking Keegan whether she had discussed the case with her. "Well, no," replied Keegan.

Counsel for Carter, Trevor Burke, rose to tell the judge that the jury would not be aware that the court has the power to restrict meetings and "there was no such restriction" imposed on Keegan.

Earlier Keegan was quizzed about her time working for Brooks and her recollection of the archiving of the seven boxes and whether she used notepads.

The contents of the seven boxes, archived in September 2009, were described in the News International archive paperwork as "Notebooks 1995-2007" belonging to "Rebekah Brooks (nee Wade)".

Keegan was shown two types of notebook – a small reporter's notepad and an A4 pad.She said Brooks used neither of these while editor of the Sun and jotted her notes on a wall-chart sized desk pad.

Keegan or Carter would tear used pages of from this pad on a daily basis and place them beneath the pad for later referral. These notes contained everything from diary items relating to calls with Rupert Murdoch, to sketches of potential page layouts, and would be torn up or thrown away. "They certainly weren't filed, no," said Keegan.

Brooks began using a notepad for notes when she was promoted to News International chief executive on the suggestion of James Murdoch, the company's former chairman.

The jury heard that the Sun was a "pretty tough" work environment, leaving Brooks with little time for a personal life.

Keegan agreed with Jonathan Laidlaw, QC, counsel for Brooks, who said that "in the early days, it was a very male-dominated environment". He added: "It was not entirely easy, I don't think, all the time for women."

Laidlaw said Brooks was "working non-stop" at the Sun with a long list of interests and activities both in and out of office hours including a trip to Afghanistan, annual meetings at the Davos economic summit, involvement with children's charities, charities for young women and police bravery awards.

Keegan agreed Brooks worked extremely hard and may have occasionally been short-tempered but had a "softer side" and had shown "great kindness" to her family.

The jury heard that Brooks was constantly on her BlackBerry and the handset was frequently changed. Her husband, the racehorse trainer Charlie Brooks, was also supplied with a laptop and phones. Brooks laughed loudly in court when Laidlaw put it to Keegan that "he would lose them more often than not".

Carter, Rebekah Brooks and Charlie Brooks have all been charged with a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, which they deny.

The trial continues.

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