Phone hacking scandal deepens

[David Guyatt]

The wriggling continues...

Andy Coulson 'was warned of police hacking suspicions seven years ago'

Court hears recorded phone call in which Clive Goodman told former NoW editor of 'quite massive' case against Glenn Mulcaire

• Nick Davies
  
• The Guardian, Monday 25 November 2013 16.20 EST
  

Link to video: Andy Coulson warned by Clive Goodman about possible extent of phone hacking - audio recordingAndy Coulson was warned seven years ago that the police had a "quite massive" case against the News of the World's specialist phone-hacker, Glenn Mulcaire, according to a phone call taped by one of his reporters that was played at the Old Bailey on Monday.
The paper's royal editor, Clive Goodman, also told Coulson in the recorded conversation that police had found "voicemail and Pin numbers" at Mulcaire's address in 2006, and that there were "danger points" for the newspaper in documents obtained by the police at that time.
Goodman warned his editor that Mulcaire was being "very difficult" and "rapidly emerging as something of a nutter". Referring to the hacker and his lawyers, Goodman said at one point: "You've got to worry, haven't you, really to wonder whether they're keeping shtum."
The jury in the phone-hacking trial was told that Goodman secretly taped the phone call with his editor in November 2006 after he had been arrested by police but before the reporter went to court to admit intercepting the voicemails of messages left for aides to Princes William and Harry.
During the conversation, Coulson who was listening to the recording in the dock repeatedly assured the royal editor that he intended to continue to employ him. "You have it from me that, you know, I absolutely see a future for you here," he said. But the jury has been told that after Goodman was jailed in January 2007 he was immediately sacked.
In the call Goodman said: "The case against Glenn [Mulcaire] is quite massive really. All sorts of stuff they picked up in his place, as I told you, the other names, PIN numbers of people and my concern is I don't somehow become associated, I don't somehow get binned off as the, you know, instrument."
Goodman warned Coulson that there was "a real nasty sting in the tail" in the News of the World's phone-billing system which, unlike some switchboards, recorded every number that was called. Later, he asked his editor if he was aware of "danger points" in the documentation held by police.
Following an exchange, Coulson then said: "You know, there's been all sorts of names and all sorts of allegations. It comes down to what they think they can prove. And indeed what the truth is. Those names mean absolutely nothing to me. From what I understand, they're not tracing those names back to the paper … there's no direct link to the News of the World."
"No," replied Goodman. "They've found the voicemails and the PIN numbers at Mulcaire's address."
Goodman said the police had found a contract with Mulcaire, linking the paper's northern editor, Greg Miskiw, to a story about somebody who was claiming they had been hacked but there was no forensic evidence to prove it. "It's an assumption," he said, "but given what Mulcaire does …" "Sure," said Coulson.
"People might think it's fairly solid," Goodman continued.
Goodman went on to explain that Greg Miskiw was in contact with Mulcaire: "I think he's just telling Glenn not to be an idiot as much as he can. You know, without getting too deeply involved himself, coz clearly he doesn't want that can of worms opened."
Coulson replied: "Yeah, quite difficult."
Separately, Colin Montgomerie's former wife, Eimear Cook, was accused of lying to the jury after claiming that Rebekah Brooks had discussed phone-hacking with her at a lunch in September 2005. Cook said Brooks had also talked about an incident when police had been called to deal with her allegedly assaulting her then partner, Ross Kemp an incident which, the court was told, did not happen until November, six weeks after the agreed date of the lunch.
Answering questions from the prosecution, Cook said she remembered that Brooks described how easy it was to listen to another person's voicemail if they failed to change the factory-set PIN code and that she had also described how newspapers, including the Sun which she herself was editing, had reported the police being called to deal with her argument with Kemp and how she had had to explain it to Rupert Murdoch.
. But Jonathan Laidlaw QC, for Rebekah Brooks, told her: "This never happened … not only did it not happen. It could not have happened." The jury was shown Mrs Brooks' desk diary which showed that the lunch had taken place on September 20 2005. The Crown had earlier agreed that this was the date. The jury was then shown newspaper reports of the police dealing with her alleged assault on Ross Kemp, which had not occured until November. Cook replied: "I didn't make it up. I have no grievance against Mrs Brooks personally whatsoever. I didn't make it up. Something was said to that effect."
Brooks, Coulson, Stuart Kuttner and Ian Edmondson deny conspiring to intercept communications. Coulson and Goodman also deny conspiring to commit misconduct in public office. The trial continues.