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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. | 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. | 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 he hid the porn DVDs in a jiffy bag behind some bins. | He told the Old Bailey he hid the porn DVDs in a jiffy bag behind some bins. |
He denies conspiring to pervert the course of justice by hiding evidence. | He denies conspiring to pervert the course of justice by hiding evidence. |
Mrs Brooks and former News International head of security Mark Hanna also deny conspiracy to pervert the course of justice between 5 and 19 July and 2011. | Mrs Brooks and former News International head of security Mark Hanna also deny conspiracy to pervert the course of justice between 5 and 19 July and 2011. |
'Bit of smut' | 'Bit of smut' |
Mr Brooks told the court he hid the DVDs to avoid a "Jacqui Smith moment", referring to the former home secretary's resignation in 2009 after it emerged she claimed expenses for a TV service used by her husband to watch pornography. | Mr Brooks told the court he hid the DVDs to avoid a "Jacqui Smith moment", referring to the former home secretary's resignation in 2009 after it emerged she claimed expenses for a TV service used by her husband to watch pornography. |
"I did think about my DVDs and I had my Jacqui Smith moment. I didn't want the same thing to happen to Rebekah," he said. | |
"I didn't want to embarrass my wife in the same way." | |
When questioned by his barrister, Neil Saunders QC, he said the DVDs he was hiding were of "an embarrassing nature". | When questioned by his barrister, Neil Saunders QC, he said the DVDs he was hiding 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. |
He also said he took a Sony Vaio laptop from the flat he shared with Mrs Brooks in London, while she was being interviewed by police at Lewisham Police Station. | |
"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 he never thought about the presence of CCTV cameras. | |
"Incredibly stupidly and rashly I thought I'll just put it to one side and they won't take it away and I won't lose my material," he said. | |
The jury has seen pictures from the cameras, showing him returning from the bins empty-handed before a police raid. | The jury has seen pictures from the cameras, showing him returning from the bins empty-handed before a 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 a News International Apple Mac laptop, which he had earlier told the court he viewed as his "personal property", 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. |
Mr Brooks said he was aware the police were likely to search their home as early as April 2011, after he and Mrs Brooks had returned from holiday. | |
He said it came as "no surprise" that police searched their home on 17 July 2011, but he did not know what his wife would be arrested for. | |
He said he thought "Rebekah's relationship with the police changed", and spoke of her being removed from what he described as a "confidentiality club". | |
Mr and Mrs Brooks are being tried alongside five other defendants in relation to alleged phone hacking by journalists at the News of the World. | Mr and Mrs Brooks are being tried alongside five other defendants in relation to alleged phone hacking by journalists at the News of the World. |
Mrs Brooks also denies conspiracy to hack phones and conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office. | |
The trial continues. | The trial continues. |