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Phone-hacking trial: Charlie Brooks 'feared porn leak' | Phone-hacking trial: Charlie Brooks 'feared porn leak' |
(35 minutes later) | |
Racehorse trainer Charlie Brooks has told a court he hid pornography from police because he feared embarrassing details would be leaked to the press. | |
Mr Brooks, husband of former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, said a "lot of stuff" had been leaked to newspapers during the police's phone-hacking investigation. | |
He told the Old Bailey the leaks had gone "particularly to the Guardian". | |
He denies perverting the course of justice by concealing evidence. | He denies perverting the course of justice by concealing evidence. |
Mr Brooks said he took a bag of pornographic DVDs from the London flat he shared with Mrs Brooks and hid it behind some bins. | |
Questioned by his barrister, Neil Saunders QC, he said the DVDs were of "an embarrassing nature". | Questioned by his barrister, Neil Saunders QC, he said the DVDs were of "an embarrassing nature". |
"I envisaged 20 policemen coming in and emptying every drawer and looking under every nook and cranny, and I did think about my DVDs," he said. | "I envisaged 20 policemen coming in and emptying every drawer and looking under every nook and cranny, and I did think about my DVDs," he said. |
'Bit of smut' | |
He said it had been a "Jacqui Smith moment", referring to Jacqui Smith's resignation as home secretary in 2009 after it emerged that she had claimed expenses for a TV service her husband had used to watch pornography. | |
"I didn't want to embarrass my wife in the same way," Mr Brooks said. | |
He also said he took a Sony Vaio laptop from the flat. | He also said he took a Sony Vaio laptop from the flat. |
"It had some important book ideas that weren't backed up anywhere else, but it also had a bit of smut on it too," he said. | "It had some important book ideas that weren't backed up anywhere else, but it also had a bit of smut on it too," he said. |
In hiding the items behind the bins, he said never thought about the presence of CCTV cameras. | In hiding the items behind the bins, he said never thought about the presence of CCTV cameras. |
The jury has seen pictures from the cameras, showing him returning from the bins empty-handed before the police raid. | The jury has seen pictures from the cameras, showing him returning from the bins empty-handed before the police raid. |
Officers also raided the couple's Oxfordshire home, and Mr Brooks said he removed two bags from that address because he was expecting the raids in July 2011. | Officers also raided the couple's Oxfordshire home, and Mr Brooks said he removed two bags from that address because he was expecting the raids in July 2011. |
He said he did not want to lose his Apple Mac laptop because it contained a novel he was writing and historical notes he had gathered as part of his research. | |
He denied asking members of Mrs Brooks's security team to remove any other items from their Oxfordshire home. | He denied asking members of Mrs Brooks's security team to remove any other items from their Oxfordshire home. |
Mrs Brooks denies conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, conspiracy to hack phones and conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office. | Mrs Brooks denies conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, conspiracy to hack phones and conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office. |
Mr and Mrs Brooks are being tried alongside five other defendants over alleged phone hacking by journalists at the News of the World and the Sun newspapers. | Mr and Mrs Brooks are being tried alongside five other defendants over alleged phone hacking by journalists at the News of the World and the Sun newspapers. |
The trial continues. | The trial continues. |