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| Ex-Sunday Mirror and NoW reporter pleads guilty to phone hacking | Ex-Sunday Mirror and NoW reporter pleads guilty to phone hacking |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A journalist has pleaded guilty to phone hacking while working for the Sunday Mirror. | A journalist has pleaded guilty to phone hacking while working for the Sunday Mirror. |
| Dan Evans has also pleaded guilty to the same offence at the News of the World – the fourth journalist to do so. | Dan Evans has also pleaded guilty to the same offence at the News of the World – the fourth journalist to do so. |
| Evans is the first journalist to plead guilty to hacking phones while working for a paper other than the now closed News of the World. | Evans is the first journalist to plead guilty to hacking phones while working for a paper other than the now closed News of the World. |
| Evans told the Old Bailey jury on Monday that he started hacking phones after he was made a staff reporter at the Sunday Mirror and carried out this activity for about "a year and a half". | Evans told the Old Bailey jury on Monday that he started hacking phones after he was made a staff reporter at the Sunday Mirror and carried out this activity for about "a year and a half". |
| That was the period of his involvement in hacking he said. "That had probably been going quite a long time before that," he told the court. | That was the period of his involvement in hacking he said. "That had probably been going quite a long time before that," he told the court. |
| Evans described the phone hacking target list at the Sunday Mirror as containing "lists of celebrities' voicemail pin numbers" and "celebrity agents [voicemail numbers] where you would pick up voicemails left by them". | Evans described the phone hacking target list at the Sunday Mirror as containing "lists of celebrities' voicemail pin numbers" and "celebrity agents [voicemail numbers] where you would pick up voicemails left by them". |
| It was updated regularly by him as pin codes got changed or new celebrities appeared on the "radar". | It was updated regularly by him as pin codes got changed or new celebrities appeared on the "radar". |
| James Weatherup, who was Evans's boss at the Sunday Mirror, moved to the News of the World and offered him a job, the court was told, but he declined. | James Weatherup, who was Evans's boss at the Sunday Mirror, moved to the News of the World and offered him a job, the court was told, but he declined. |
| "I didn't want to be there as his pet phone-hacker," Evans said. | "I didn't want to be there as his pet phone-hacker," Evans said. |
| He described how he met Weatherup to discuss the possibility of defecting to the rival title and openly discussed phone hacking, although that term did not exist at the time. | He described how he met Weatherup to discuss the possibility of defecting to the rival title and openly discussed phone hacking, although that term did not exist at the time. |
| He said he declined the job because he had "slid into the phone hacking a bit too far" when at the Sunday Mirror and had become "quite depressed after a while and I wanted to get out" of the activity. | He said he declined the job because he had "slid into the phone hacking a bit too far" when at the Sunday Mirror and had become "quite depressed after a while and I wanted to get out" of the activity. |
| Evans described how, at the Sunday Mirror, he had been handed "pages of famous people's numbers" and told: "This is your job. You have to hack and crack the voicemail pincodes of all these people." | Evans described how, at the Sunday Mirror, he had been handed "pages of famous people's numbers" and told: "This is your job. You have to hack and crack the voicemail pincodes of all these people." |
| He said his "general day-to-day life changed" after that. Evans said he was successful at the hacking and he felt he "ended up forsaking the stuff I really enjoyed", which was investigative journalism. | He said his "general day-to-day life changed" after that. Evans said he was successful at the hacking and he felt he "ended up forsaking the stuff I really enjoyed", which was investigative journalism. |
| Evans told how Weatherup persuaded him to meet a second News of the World journalist, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as part of the paper's bid to hire him. | Evans told how Weatherup persuaded him to meet a second News of the World journalist, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as part of the paper's bid to hire him. |
| According to Evans the second NoW journalist said to him: "I know you can screw phones. What else can you do?" | According to Evans the second NoW journalist said to him: "I know you can screw phones. What else can you do?" |
| Evans said after his meeting with Weatherup and another journalist, he was approached by a different News of the World journalist who tried to persuade him to join the paper. During a follow-up meeting, they got onto the topic of the "stuff with the phones". The journalist told him: "I'm going to want you to do some of that voice mail interception." | Evans said after his meeting with Weatherup and another journalist, he was approached by a different News of the World journalist who tried to persuade him to join the paper. During a follow-up meeting, they got onto the topic of the "stuff with the phones". The journalist told him: "I'm going to want you to do some of that voice mail interception." |
| He recalled the journalist's view of those who were hacking phones to get stories was: "If you can't beat them, join them." | He recalled the journalist's view of those who were hacking phones to get stories was: "If you can't beat them, join them." |
| Evans was subsequently introduced by this journalist to the then editor, Andy Coulson, at a formal breakfast meeting at the Aldwych Hotel in central London where he remembers ordering scrambled eggs and salmon. | Evans was subsequently introduced by this journalist to the then editor, Andy Coulson, at a formal breakfast meeting at the Aldwych Hotel in central London where he remembers ordering scrambled eggs and salmon. |
| Evans told the court about the "kerching moment" when he met Coulson and mentioned how he had hacked phones in the past. | |
| He said: "I told him about my background, the sort of stories I had been doing. Almost the sort of stuff I had been through before." | |
| Following prompting by the other News of the World journalist at the meeting Evans said he told Coulson: "I got on to voicemails and interception and I told him I had a lot of commercially sensitive data in my head and how things worked at the Sunday Mirror and I could bring him big exclusive stories cheaply which was the kerching moment. Bring exclusive stories cheaply equals job.". | |
| Asked if "stuff with the phones" was mentioned during his meeting with Coulson he said: "I don't think so." | Asked if "stuff with the phones" was mentioned during his meeting with Coulson he said: "I don't think so." |
| Coulson has pleaded not guilty to a charge relating to a conspiracy to hack phones. | Coulson has pleaded not guilty to a charge relating to a conspiracy to hack phones. |
| Sunday Mirror publisher Trinity Mirror said in a statement: "We note that Dan Evans, a former journalist of the Sunday Mirror, has pleaded guilty to phone hacking during his time at the group in 2003 and 2004. We do not tolerate wrongdoing within our business and take any allegations seriously. | Sunday Mirror publisher Trinity Mirror said in a statement: "We note that Dan Evans, a former journalist of the Sunday Mirror, has pleaded guilty to phone hacking during his time at the group in 2003 and 2004. We do not tolerate wrongdoing within our business and take any allegations seriously. |
| "It is too soon to know how this matter will progress and further updates will be made if there are any significant developments." | "It is too soon to know how this matter will progress and further updates will be made if there are any significant developments." |
| Trinity Mirror shares were about 3% down on their opening price by 3.30pm on Monday. | Trinity Mirror shares were about 3% down on their opening price by 3.30pm on Monday. |
| Evans, who was a news reporter, has also pleaded guilty to two other charges, the jury in the hacking trial has been told – a conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office and providing a false witness statement in relation to proceedings taken against him by the interior designer Kelly Hoppen. | Evans, who was a news reporter, has also pleaded guilty to two other charges, the jury in the hacking trial has been told – a conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office and providing a false witness statement in relation to proceedings taken against him by the interior designer Kelly Hoppen. |
| The jury was told he entered his plea in September last year but for legal reasons this could not be reported at the time. | The jury was told he entered his plea in September last year but for legal reasons this could not be reported at the time. |
| The Sunday Mirror charge related covers the period between 28 February 2003 and 1 January 2005 while the News of the World charge relates to April 2004 and 1 June 2010. | The Sunday Mirror charge related covers the period between 28 February 2003 and 1 January 2005 while the News of the World charge relates to April 2004 and 1 June 2010. |
| Evans is the fifth person to have pleaded guilty in relation to hacking at the News of the World. | Evans is the fifth person to have pleaded guilty in relation to hacking at the News of the World. |
| The jury heard at the start of the trial in October that journalists Weatherup, Neville Thurlbeck, Greg Miskiw and Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator and the paper's specialist hacker, have already pleaded guilty to intercepting voicemails. | The jury heard at the start of the trial in October that journalists Weatherup, Neville Thurlbeck, Greg Miskiw and Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator and the paper's specialist hacker, have already pleaded guilty to intercepting voicemails. |
| The trial continues. | The trial continues. |