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| Phone hacking trial: Coulson pressed me to keep quiet, Goodman claims | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Andy Coulson suggested he was in contact with police and using his influence to keep his royal editor Clive Goodman out of prison after Goodman was arrested for phone hacking in 2006, an Old Bailey jury has heard | Andy Coulson suggested he was in contact with police and using his influence to keep his royal editor Clive Goodman out of prison after Goodman was arrested for phone hacking in 2006, an Old Bailey jury has heard |
| Goodman made the claim as he told the court that he had felt threatened by a News International lawyer who told him he could keep his job if he agreed to say nothing about the involvement in hacking of others at the News of the World. He added that his own solicitor, Henri Brandman, who was being paid by the company, had also advised him not to name names. | Goodman made the claim as he told the court that he had felt threatened by a News International lawyer who told him he could keep his job if he agreed to say nothing about the involvement in hacking of others at the News of the World. He added that his own solicitor, Henri Brandman, who was being paid by the company, had also advised him not to name names. |
| Giving evidence, Goodman said that following his arrest on 8 August 2006 he had been distraught when he saw the size of the case that detectives had assembled against him and the News of the World's specialist phone hacker, Glenn Mulcaire. | Giving evidence, Goodman said that following his arrest on 8 August 2006 he had been distraught when he saw the size of the case that detectives had assembled against him and the News of the World's specialist phone hacker, Glenn Mulcaire. |
| "I was immensely worried that I was going to be blamed for all of Glenn's activities and so I told Henri that that wasn't the case, that lots of people from the News of the World were doing this. I just happened to be the one that got caught," Goodman told the court. | "I was immensely worried that I was going to be blamed for all of Glenn's activities and so I told Henri that that wasn't the case, that lots of people from the News of the World were doing this. I just happened to be the one that got caught," Goodman told the court. |
| He had been surprised the next day when Brandman had suggested that his line of defence should be: "Under stress and some kind of lone wolf." He told the jury: "I knew he was there to represent me, but he was being paid by News International and I had a pretty strong feeling that everything I said would probably go straight back to them." | He had been surprised the next day when Brandman had suggested that his line of defence should be: "Under stress and some kind of lone wolf." He told the jury: "I knew he was there to represent me, but he was being paid by News International and I had a pretty strong feeling that everything I said would probably go straight back to them." |
| On 10 August, he had received a phone call from Coulson that had left him feeling disturbed and worried that he was being "bounced into pleading guilty". | On 10 August, he had received a phone call from Coulson that had left him feeling disturbed and worried that he was being "bounced into pleading guilty". |
| He added that Coulson had given him the impression that he had been discussing the case with the police or the Home Office, suggesting that they had no intention of seeking a prison sentence as long as Goodman pleaded guilty and got the case out of the way quickly. | He added that Coulson had given him the impression that he had been discussing the case with the police or the Home Office, suggesting that they had no intention of seeking a prison sentence as long as Goodman pleaded guilty and got the case out of the way quickly. |
| That same day, Goodman had gone to an internet cafe, created a new Hotmail email address and accessed his email account at News International: "I felt at risk of being passed off as Glenn Mulcaire's only conspirator. I was seeking email that would prove that others were involved and that Andy knew what was going on." | That same day, Goodman had gone to an internet cafe, created a new Hotmail email address and accessed his email account at News International: "I felt at risk of being passed off as Glenn Mulcaire's only conspirator. I was seeking email that would prove that others were involved and that Andy knew what was going on." |
| On 14 August, he had agreed to meet Coulson in a Cafe Rouge near his home in Wimbledon, south London. Coulson again urged him to plead guilty, he said. | On 14 August, he had agreed to meet Coulson in a Cafe Rouge near his home in Wimbledon, south London. Coulson again urged him to plead guilty, he said. |
| "He expressed the view that through his and the newspaper's contacts he had discovered that the police didn't want the case to go any deeper than me and Mulcaire, and nobody wanted it to end up in a jail sentence. | "He expressed the view that through his and the newspaper's contacts he had discovered that the police didn't want the case to go any deeper than me and Mulcaire, and nobody wanted it to end up in a jail sentence. |
| "There was a clear suggestion his influence somehow had arranged for me not to go prison." | "There was a clear suggestion his influence somehow had arranged for me not to go prison." |
| Coulson had told him he could keep his job and that, if he did get a prison sentence, the paper would continue to pay him and would look after his wife and daughter. David Spens QC asked him: "Was that dependent on anything?" | Coulson had told him he could keep his job and that, if he did get a prison sentence, the paper would continue to pay him and would look after his wife and daughter. David Spens QC asked him: "Was that dependent on anything?" |
| Goodman replied: "Keeping silent." | Goodman replied: "Keeping silent." |
| "About?" | "About?" |
| "The involvement of others." | "The involvement of others." |
| Goodman said he had already hired a specialist employment lawyer – "I couldn't really ask Henri Brandman because I thought he was representing News International as well." | Goodman said he had already hired a specialist employment lawyer – "I couldn't really ask Henri Brandman because I thought he was representing News International as well." |
| In the meeting at Cafe Rouge, he noticed that Coulson seemed to have a lot of detail about the criminal case. "The only way he could have got that was from Brandman. He was supposed to be working for me, not for the paper. I thought it was not quite right that he should be telling the paper what I was telling him." | In the meeting at Cafe Rouge, he noticed that Coulson seemed to have a lot of detail about the criminal case. "The only way he could have got that was from Brandman. He was supposed to be working for me, not for the paper. I thought it was not quite right that he should be telling the paper what I was telling him." |
| And then, Goodman claimed, Coulson had given him some advice: "All you've got to say is that you're a lone wolf." That had "really put the fear of God" into him, because it was exactly what Brandman had already suggested. | And then, Goodman claimed, Coulson had given him some advice: "All you've got to say is that you're a lone wolf." That had "really put the fear of God" into him, because it was exactly what Brandman had already suggested. |
| During November, Goodman said, he had drafted a proof of evidence for his court case in which he had implicated senior executives, including Coulson, in knowledge and approval of phone hacking. However, Brandman had advised him that a judge "would not take a benign view of someone who thrashed around blaming everybody else". Goodman said he had not known whether Brandman was giving him his own point of view or News International's. But eventually he had agreed to remove the references. | During November, Goodman said, he had drafted a proof of evidence for his court case in which he had implicated senior executives, including Coulson, in knowledge and approval of phone hacking. However, Brandman had advised him that a judge "would not take a benign view of someone who thrashed around blaming everybody else". Goodman said he had not known whether Brandman was giving him his own point of view or News International's. But eventually he had agreed to remove the references. |
| In the first week of November, a News International lawyer had asked to see the 2,000 pages of evidence that had been served on him by prosecutors. | In the first week of November, a News International lawyer had asked to see the 2,000 pages of evidence that had been served on him by prosecutors. |
| Goodman said he did not want to hand it over, because he did not trust the company. He had then discovered that Brandman had gone ahead and supplied the material to the lawyer. "It was the exact opposite of my instructions," he told the court. | Goodman said he did not want to hand it over, because he did not trust the company. He had then discovered that Brandman had gone ahead and supplied the material to the lawyer. "It was the exact opposite of my instructions," he told the court. |
| The same News International lawyer had attended Goodman's meetings with Brandman and with his barrister, John Kelsey-Fry QC, and had told him several times that he could keep his job at the News of the World only if he agreed not to name others who were involved in the hacking. Following one such meeting, Goodman emailed Brandman, complaining that the presence of the News International lawyer had been "unhelpful" and that he had delivered "a fairly crude carrot and stick from the NoW … I found the attempt to dictate lines of our defence highly inappropriate and just a bit shocking. I felt more threatened by the message that he was asked to deliver than I have by much of the prosecution case." | The same News International lawyer had attended Goodman's meetings with Brandman and with his barrister, John Kelsey-Fry QC, and had told him several times that he could keep his job at the News of the World only if he agreed not to name others who were involved in the hacking. Following one such meeting, Goodman emailed Brandman, complaining that the presence of the News International lawyer had been "unhelpful" and that he had delivered "a fairly crude carrot and stick from the NoW … I found the attempt to dictate lines of our defence highly inappropriate and just a bit shocking. I felt more threatened by the message that he was asked to deliver than I have by much of the prosecution case." |
| Clive Goodman and Andy Coulson deny conspiring to commit misconduct in public office. Coulson and Stuart Kuttner deny conspiring to intercept voicemail. | Clive Goodman and Andy Coulson deny conspiring to commit misconduct in public office. Coulson and Stuart Kuttner deny conspiring to intercept voicemail. |