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Rebekah Brooks's former PA 'wouldn't commit crime for her' Rebekah Brooks's former PA accused of inventing evidence
(about 3 hours later)
Rebekah Brooks's former assistant, Cheryl Carter, has told the phone-hacking trial she would never commit a crime for her ex-boss. Prosecutors at the phone-hacking trial have accused Rebekah Brooks's former assistant of inventing her evidence and being dishonest.
Questioned by her barrister, Mrs Carter denied she would do "whatever she asked", adding Mrs Brooks had never asked her to commit a crime. Cheryl Carter is accused of retrieving boxes of notebooks belonging to Mrs Brooks and destroying them in an effort to pervert the course of justice.
Mrs Carter is accused of retrieving boxes of notebooks belonging to Mrs Brooks and destroying them in an effort to pervert the course of justice. But Mrs Carter said the boxes contained mostly her own belongings despite being labelled as holding former News of the World editor Mrs Brooks's notebooks.
Both women deny the same charge.Both women deny the same charge.
Mrs Carter worked for nearly two decades as a personal assistant to Mrs Brooks, who was editor of the News of the World, then the Sun, and then chief executive of News International - which owned the newspapers. Earlier, Mrs Carter told the phone-hacking trial she would never commit a crime for her ex-boss.
The 49-year-old, of Chelmsford, Essex, worked for nearly two decades as a personal assistant to Mrs Brooks, who was editor of the News of the World, then the Sun, and then chief executive of News International - which owned the newspapers.
'Shouldn't worry''Shouldn't worry'
Mrs Carter, 49, of Chelmsford, Essex, was asked by her counsel, Trevor Burke QC, about her relationship with Mrs Brooks. Asked by her counsel, Trevor Burke QC whether she would ever break the law for her former employer, she answered: "No, I would not commit a crime for Rebekah Brooks."
He said: "Would you do whatever she asked?" She added that Mrs Brooks had never asked her to.
"No," replied Mrs Carter. Mrs Carter had asked her son and a colleague's husband to help her pick up seven boxes of notebooks from the News International archive - on the day after the closure of the News of the World had been announced in July 2011.
Asked whether she would ever break the law for her former employer, she answered: "No, I would not commit a crime for Rebekah Brooks." She said she would never have involved her son in a criminal conspiracy.
Mr Burke then asked her: "Has she ever asked you to?"
"No, she hasn't," was the reply.
Mrs Carter was then asked about the events of the day that she picked up the seven boxes of notebooks from the News International archive.
On the day after the closure of the News of the World had been announced in July 2011, Mrs Carter had asked her son and a colleague's husband to help with the removal.
Asked by her counsel if, when she called her son to ask for help, she was aware she might be getting him involved in a criminal conspiracy, she replied: "I would never get my son involved in a criminal conspiracy, that is simply not true."
Mrs Carter, who was at times very emotional in giving her evidence, described how police investigating the disappearance of the seven boxes searched her home in Essex.Mrs Carter, who was at times very emotional in giving her evidence, described how police investigating the disappearance of the seven boxes searched her home in Essex.
She was asked by her lawyer if she had phoned Mrs Brooks at the time. She confirmed she had phoned Mrs Brooks at the time.
"Yes," she replied. "I told her the police had been and asked about some archive boxes but she shouldn't worry because it was my stuff." "I told her the police had been and asked about some archive boxes but she shouldn't worry because it was my stuff," she said.
On Tuesday, Mrs Carter told the court the boxes contained her own work and belongings - including cuttings and scrapbooks from the six years she wrote a beauty column for The Sun. Mrs Carter had told the court on Tuesday that the boxes contained her own work and belongings - including cuttings and scrapbooks from the six years she wrote a beauty column for The Sun.
She said the boxes had been labelled as Rebekah Brooks's notebooks because they contained just one notebook that Mrs Brooks had given her when she joined her staff in 1995, and one telephone "record book" labelled with the year 2007.She said the boxes had been labelled as Rebekah Brooks's notebooks because they contained just one notebook that Mrs Brooks had given her when she joined her staff in 1995, and one telephone "record book" labelled with the year 2007.
Under cross examination, prosecutor Andrew Edis QC put it to her that the boxes labelled as Mrs Brooks's notebooks were "what it said on the tin". Mrs Carter denied this. Prosecutor Andrew Edis QC put it to Mrs Carter that the boxes labelled as Mrs Brooks's notebooks were "what it said on the tin". Mrs Carter denied this.
When he suggested her evidence was dishonest, Mrs Carter said: "I was brought up very well. I'm not dishonest."
The defendant became emotional when she was accused of "inventing" a memory of how she packed up the boxes following her police interview.
"Mr Edis, I got dragged out of my bed at 7. I got watched while I went to the toilet, watched while I got dressed," Mrs Carter said.
"I was told I would be handcuffed and put in a cell for four or five hours. I was cold. I was scared.
"Yes, I did get things wrong. I tried my very best."
Boot campBoot camp
She also rejected an assertion that she had lied about Mrs Brooks being in the office on the day she collected the boxes of notebooks. Mrs Carter also rejected an assertion that she had lied about Mrs Brooks being in the office on the day she collected the boxes of notebooks.
The court heard that in police statements made in November 2011, Mrs Carter told police Mrs Brooks was not at work on that day, but at a "boot camp" with her personal trainer.The court heard that in police statements made in November 2011, Mrs Carter told police Mrs Brooks was not at work on that day, but at a "boot camp" with her personal trainer.
Under questioning, Mrs Carter agreed that when she made the police statement she did not know that they knew the date the boxes had been picked up.Under questioning, Mrs Carter agreed that when she made the police statement she did not know that they knew the date the boxes had been picked up.
Mr Edis asked Mrs Carter why she had lied, in her police statement, about the whereabouts of Mrs Brooks on that day.
"It wasn't a lie," she replied. "It was my recollection, I got it wrong. It was two weeks later, I'm sorry."
Mrs Carter is one of seven people on trial in connection with the phone-hacking affair, which led to the News of the World's closure in 2011.Mrs Carter is one of seven people on trial in connection with the phone-hacking affair, which led to the News of the World's closure in 2011.
Mrs Brooks, 45, of Churchill, Oxfordshire, denies conspiring to hack phones and conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office.Mrs Brooks, 45, of Churchill, Oxfordshire, denies conspiring to hack phones and conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office.
All seven defendants in the case deny the various charges.All seven defendants in the case deny the various charges.
The trial continues.The trial continues.