Andy Coulson trial: jury sent home as court deals with legal issues
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Version 0 of 1. Jurors in the perjury trial of former News of the World editor Andy Coulson have been sent away for the day and told to return next week as the court continues to deal with legal issues. Coulson, the prime minister’s former director of communications, is on trial at the high court in Edinburgh accused of lying under oath in the 2010 perjury trial of ex-Socialist MSP Tommy Sheridan. He denies the allegations against him. Earlier this week, after seven days of evidence, prosecutor Richard Goddard closed the case for the Crown. Judge Lord Burns then told the jury of nine men and six women to return to court on Friday as “legal matters” had arisen and needed to be debated. But he informed them on Friday morning that “the process started on Tuesday has not yet been concluded and there will be no evidence therefore today”. He told jurors that the “disruption” caused to them was “absolutely necessary”. The judge told the jury members to return to court for noon on Monday. Prosecutors allege that Coulson made false claims on 9 and 10 December 2010 after being sworn in as a witness at Sheridan’s trial. It is alleged that 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. Coulson pleads not guilty to the allegations against him. The trial continues next week. |