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Andy Coulson perjury jury hears Sheridan trial evidence Andy Coulson perjury jury hears Sheridan trial evidence
(about 1 hour later)
The Andy Coulson perjury trial has begun hearing evidence which the former News of the World editor gave at the 2010 perjury trial of Tommy Sheridan.The Andy Coulson perjury trial has begun hearing evidence which the former News of the World editor gave at the 2010 perjury trial of Tommy Sheridan.
Mr Coulson, 47, was called as a witness and questioned by Mr Sheridan during the case. A tape of that exchange was played in court on Tuesday.Mr Coulson, 47, was called as a witness and questioned by Mr Sheridan during the case. A tape of that exchange was played in court on Tuesday.
He is accused of lying when he told the jury he did not know one of the paper's journalists and a private investigator were involved in phone hacking.He is accused of lying when he told the jury he did not know one of the paper's journalists and a private investigator were involved in phone hacking.
Mr Coulson denies the charge.Mr Coulson denies the charge.
The jury at the High Court in Edinburgh was played a recording from Mr Coulson's testimony from his appearance in December 2010 at the trial of the former Scottish Socialist MSP. In courtroom three at the High Court in Edinburgh, the jury of nine men and six women listened to a tape of Mr Coulson's evidence on 9 and 10 December 2010 at Mr Sheridan's perjury trial.
'Ultimate responsibility' They heard Mr Coulson swearing an oath to tell the truth before confirming his job at the time: director of communications at Downing Street, answerable to the prime minister, a position he said could be described as a "spin doctor".
In the recording, Mr Coulson, a former Downing Street head of communications, said he stepped down from the News of the World as he took "ultimate responsibility" for phone hacking. On the tape, Mr Coulson, who was editor of the News of the World from 2003 to 2007, said the first he had known that one of his journalists, Clive Goodman, had been involved in hacking the telephones of celebrities and members of the royal household was when Mr Goodman was arrested along with a private investigator, Glenn Mulcaire.
He is heard insisting that he had "no knowledge" of phone hacking until the arrests of Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator, and journalist Clive Goodman in 2006. 'No knowledge'
On tape, Mr Coulson is asked if he knew about payments made to corrupt police officers and replied: "Not to my knowledge." "I had no knowledge that he was doing these things," said Mr Coulson.
He also denied having heard recordings of Mr Sheridan's voice via private investigators. Mr Coulson said he had not known Mr Mulcaire.
Mr Coulson said he would not dispute that Mr Mulcaire's consultancy was being paid around £100,000 but his "only involvement" was in trying to reduce this bill. "I'd never met, heard of, emailed spoken to Glenn Mulcaire," prior to the Goodman affair, he said.
On the Mulcaire consultancy work, Mr Coulson said he "expected it to be legitimate, legal work, the kind that every newspaper and media organisation carries out". He said payments involving Mr Mulcaire were made "without my knowledge".
'Shocking' revelations The former journalist also denied knowing about the News of the World making payments to corrupt police officers.
On the tape Mr Coulson is also heard agreeing that revelations of phone hacking were "shocking", saying his concern was that the newspaper cooperated with police. "I have no knowledge of it happening," he said.
The indictment alleges Mr Coulson made false claims on 9 and 10 December 2010 while he was a witness at Mr Sheridan's perjury trial and lied about knowing a journalist and private investigator employed by the News of the World who were involved in "phone hacking". The charge against Mr Coulson alleges that he lied in court and that he did in fact know about phone hacking, did know or know of Glenn Mulcaire and did know about payments by the newspaper to corrupt police officers.
It claims that Mr Coulson falsely stated that before the arrest of private investigator Glenn Mulcaire and News of the World journalist Clive Goodman in 2006, he did not know that Goodman was involved in phone hacking with Mulcaire. Mr Coulson, who sat in the dock wearing a grey suit and holding a transcript of his evidence, denies perjury.
It also alleges he falsely said he did not know that payments were made to Mulcaire by Goodman and that he did not know of Mulcaire's "illegal activities" or have any email exchanges with Goodman in relation to Mulcaire. The trial before Lord Burns is expected to last four weeks.
The Crown further alleges that Mr Coulson falsely stated that he did not know of Mulcaire, had not heard his name and did not know that he was employed by the News of the World.
It is claimed Mr Coulson falsely said he had no knowledge of payments being made to corrupt police officers by staff at the News of the World while he was employed as an editor there.
The trial before Lord Burns continues.