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| Andy Coulson knew about hacking while NoW editor, perjury trial told | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| David Cameron’s former communications chief Andy Coulson knew phone hacking was going on at the News of the World while he was editor, a former senior reporter on the paper has told a court. | David Cameron’s former communications chief Andy Coulson knew phone hacking was going on at the News of the World while he was editor, a former senior reporter on the paper has told a court. |
| Clive Goodman, the NoW’s former royal editor, was called as a prosecution witness on the second day of the perjury trial of Coulson, who is alleged to have lied about his knowledge of phone hacking in a Scottish trial five years ago. | Clive Goodman, the NoW’s former royal editor, was called as a prosecution witness on the second day of the perjury trial of Coulson, who is alleged to have lied about his knowledge of phone hacking in a Scottish trial five years ago. |
| Goodman, 57, from Surrey, told the high court in Edinburgh on Wednesday how he was first introduced to a man called “Glenn” by his news editor, Greg Miskiw, who used him to help get stories. | Goodman, 57, from Surrey, told the high court in Edinburgh on Wednesday how he was first introduced to a man called “Glenn” by his news editor, Greg Miskiw, who used him to help get stories. |
| Goodman confirmed to jurors he was arrested for phone-hacking related crimes, along with private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, in August 2006, and pleaded guilty to the offences in November of that year. | |
| Goodman told the court on Wednesday: “When I first met Glenn, as I knew him, I had worked out he was an inquiry agent and private detective. I’d worked out he could crack stories very quickly, stories that he cracked had something to do with communications.” | Goodman told the court on Wednesday: “When I first met Glenn, as I knew him, I had worked out he was an inquiry agent and private detective. I’d worked out he could crack stories very quickly, stories that he cracked had something to do with communications.” |
| Miskiw told him the man’s full name was Glenn Mulcaire and that he had been eavesdropping on the voicemails of people who were of interest to the paper. “Eventually Greg told me what had actually happened, they were doing something, they had been hacking phones,” said Goodman, who added that this was taking place around 2004-2005. | |
| Coulson has pleaded not guilty to perjury in the trial of Tommy Sheridan in 2010, when he was quizzed about his knowledge of phone hacking. | Coulson has pleaded not guilty to perjury in the trial of Tommy Sheridan in 2010, when he was quizzed about his knowledge of phone hacking. |
| Goodman said that at the end of October 2005 he went to Coulson to suggest they put Mulcaire on a new contract, worth £500 a week, which would allow him to consistently monitor the voicemails of a number of members of the royal household. | Goodman said that at the end of October 2005 he went to Coulson to suggest they put Mulcaire on a new contract, worth £500 a week, which would allow him to consistently monitor the voicemails of a number of members of the royal household. |
| He said the meeting took place in Coulson’s office, where he “outlined the costs, methods, voicemail numbers and pin numbers [etc]” involved in the proposal. This would be paid to a Mulcaire under the codename “Alexander”, Goodman said. | |
| Goddard pressed him on his recollection of the meeting and Coulson’s reaction. “When you spoke to Andy Coulson about this project – monitoring phones, mobile numbers, pin numbers – did he seem in the dark about this practice?” Goddard asked. | Goddard pressed him on his recollection of the meeting and Coulson’s reaction. “When you spoke to Andy Coulson about this project – monitoring phones, mobile numbers, pin numbers – did he seem in the dark about this practice?” Goddard asked. |
| “I couldn’t say, sorry.” | “I couldn’t say, sorry.” |
| “What was his reaction to his proposal?” | “What was his reaction to his proposal?” |
| “He was worried about the cost. We agreed to do it just for a trial basis and to review it after a month.” | “He was worried about the cost. We agreed to do it just for a trial basis and to review it after a month.” |
| “Did he ever worry about the breach of privacy?” | “Did he ever worry about the breach of privacy?” |
| “That didn’t come up,” replied Goodman. | “That didn’t come up,” replied Goodman. |
| Summarising for the jury, Goodard repeated: “You told us that these [payments] were for phone-hacking operations that Mr Coulson knew about.” | Summarising for the jury, Goodard repeated: “You told us that these [payments] were for phone-hacking operations that Mr Coulson knew about.” |
| “Yes,” replied Goodman. | “Yes,” replied Goodman. |
| The jury was shown contributor payment request forms that detailed payments made to “Alexander” from November 2005 to spring 2006. | |
| Goodman said he also referred to Mulcaire as “Matey” in emails to Coulson. | |
| Jurors were shown an email sent by Goodman to Coulson one month after the “Alexander” trial period had begun. | |
| “Andy – got a sec on extending the Matey trial pse? Left a memo with B on Wednesday,” Goodman wrote on 25 November 2005. | |
| Coulson replied: “Another month”. | |
| Mulcaire’s “ploy”, as described by Goodman, would produce “scraps of information” and initially was not successful, he told jurors. | Mulcaire’s “ploy”, as described by Goodman, would produce “scraps of information” and initially was not successful, he told jurors. |
| Asked by prosecutor Richard Goddard who was editor at the time, Goodman replied: “Andy”. | Asked by prosecutor Richard Goddard who was editor at the time, Goodman replied: “Andy”. |
| “At the start of all of this did he know you were accessing voicemails at that time?” Goddard asked. | “At the start of all of this did he know you were accessing voicemails at that time?” Goddard asked. |
| “Not from me he didn’t,” Goodman said. | “Not from me he didn’t,” Goodman said. |
| “However, did that change in the months ahead?” | “However, did that change in the months ahead?” |
| “Yes it did,” replied Goodman. | “Yes it did,” replied Goodman. |
| Goddard also quizzed Goodman on the atmosphere in the newsroom. He claimed Coulson had erupted in a fit of rage on one occasion when he told his boss that he could not travel to the US to cover a royal tour by Prince Charles because of childcare issues. | Goddard also quizzed Goodman on the atmosphere in the newsroom. He claimed Coulson had erupted in a fit of rage on one occasion when he told his boss that he could not travel to the US to cover a royal tour by Prince Charles because of childcare issues. |
| “He was very angry, he kicked the desk,” Goodman told jurors. “It was a very scorching dressing-down from the man who ran the paper and it didn’t really end there.” | |
| He said one particular news editor on the paper treated him aggressively. “He once told me, ‘If it’s not the big story, it’s the Big Issue, Clive, in relation to the homelessness [magazine],” said Goodman. | |
| Another senior journalist on the paper, who cannot be named for legal reasons, changed the atmosphere in the newsroom for the worse when he was hired. “When [he] arrived, the paper became much more fractious. It had always been a very competitive place to work but it was now hyper-competitive,” said Goodman. | |
| He described this journalist as “very aggressive, abrasive”. “Some found it very unpleasant,” said Goodman. | He described this journalist as “very aggressive, abrasive”. “Some found it very unpleasant,” said Goodman. |
| The trial continues. | The trial continues. |