Hacking Trial Live Tweets – 9 Jan

Thursday 9 January 2014

Summary
	The Prosecution Case Continues
		Peter Jukes Stomach and Twitter Account not Playing Fair
	Witness – Deborah Keegan (Former Personal Assistant to Rebekah Brooks)
		Counsel for Cheryl Carter continues cross examination of Deborah Keegan
		Counsel for Rebekah Brooks cross examines Deborah Keegan
		Further Prosecution questions to Deborah Keegan
	Witness – Jane Viner (Facilities Manager at News International)
		Prosecution Counsel questions Jane Viner
		Counsel for Rebekah Brooks cross examines Jane Viner

The Prosecution Case Continues
	Peter Jukes Stomach and Twitter Account not Playing Fair
		Heading back to #hackingtrial at the Old Bailey, with dicky stomach and dodgy twitter lock out almost resolved. Thanks for RTs to @Support
		Back in Court 12 of the Old Bailey: Laidlaw for Brooks is about to cross examine her former PA Deborah Keegan
Witness – Deborah Keegan (Former Personal Assistant to Rebekah Brooks)
	Counsel for Cheryl Carter continues cross examination of Deborah Keegan
		Apologies: it seems Trevor Burke, counsel for Carter, has more questions for Deborah Keegan about the clearing of the Sun office in 2009
		Keegan is asked if the contents of the boxes put into archive in 2009 were marked. She says the boxes were numbered, but not itemised
		Burke asks Keegan if she had regular arguments with David Smith, head of messengers, about the access to messengers
		Justice Saunders asks about the storage exercise when Brooks was promoted. Keegan and Burke suggest 1st September 2009
	Counsel for Rebekah Brooks cross examines Deborah Keegan
		Laidlaw cross examines Deborah Keegan: “You’re one of Mrs Brooks’ PAs: I’m one of her lawyers” and establishes connections with Brooks
		Brooks arrived as deputy of the Sun in 1995, shortly after Keegan was working in editor’s office
		Because Brooks would ‘act up’ as editor, Keegan would support her at the Sun in 1995. Brooks arrived with Carter as dedicated PA
		In 2000, Brooks and Carter leave for the NOTW. Keegan remains in the Sun office.
		Keegan left the Sun offices only in 2009 when Brooks became NI CEO.
		Laidlaw asks Keegan about ‘archiving’ during “your whole period of service with Brooks.” Keegan had said she archived three or four times
		Keegan says she might have archived material once or twice in the time she worked for Brooks
		On archiving her own notebooks, Keegan agrees with Laidlaw: “Going back to 1996, I may have done.”
		Keegan thinks the filing of the 7 boxes in 2009 might have been the first time she archived anything.
		“There wasn’t that much hard copy that went out in correspondence from the Editors….” Saunders establishes it was readers letters
		Laidlaw goes back to Burke’s questioning (“He’s now with a beard – you wouldn’t know that”)
		Asked if archiving is determined by ‘space issues’ Keegan says “totally”.
		Brooks PA at the Sun, Keegan, says “files were beginning to collapse” even at that time.
		Laidlaw suggests that the archiving Keegan does was ‘getting rid of excess’
		Saunders asks Laidlaw if he minds further questions to Keegan: “I might mind, my lord, but I wouldn’t dream of stopping you.” Laughter
		Keegan agrees there was some selection in archived material – stuff they didn’t feel comfortable putting in bin bags
		Laidlaw alights on the moment Brooks became a CEO and arrived in “DeepCarpetLand”: it meant about a halving of storage space
		Laidlaw explores the floor plan for Thomas More Square. Brooks’ office was quite spacious, but no room for storage
		“If you were uncertain of throwing something away it went into archive?” Keegan agrees with Laidlaw, counsel for Brooks.
		Back to that Sunday in September, Laidlaw suggests the archiving “had nothing to do with Rebekah Brooks… she wasn’t there.”
		“She would expect the office would be running smoothly on the Monday morning, how we got there was our business” Brooks’ PA Deborah Keegan
		Keegan agrees “she didn’t need to seek Brooks’ permission… or report back to her” about archiving her materials.
		Laidlaw suggests Keegan: “you would not be throwing away or sending to archive anything she would need”
		Laidlaw again stresses Brooks had nothing to do with what went into those 7 boxes, their labelling, or sending to archive. Keegan agrees
		Laidlaw cites archive saying 7 boxes had notebooks from “Rebekah Brooks, nee Wade” – “how that came to happen has nothing to do with Brooks”
		Laidlaw now explores the nature of NI notebooks, and Brooks’ use of them when she was deputy editor of the Sun, and then editor
		Laidlaw hands out two kinds of notebooks: a reporter’s notebook: roughly A5, and a larger A4 foolscap notebook
		Laidlaw then suggests to Keegan that Brooks did not use either of those kind of notebooks “habitually”.
		“I think we feel a question coming on?” suggests Saunders to Laidlaw.
		Keegan says Brooks didn’t use notebooks “regularly”
		Laidlaw then lights on the Brooks’ desk diary: as she was driven to work Brooks would read all the daily papers.
		“She would check what the rivals were doing… and tear out or mark out relevant bits,” Laidlaw says of Brooks’ prep for 11 am conference
		“I’m not sure I noticed a regular format,’ says Brooks PA Keegan. But there would be notes KRM or Les Hinton for calls she had to make
		Brooks would use these pads to sketch out the layout for the next day of the Sun, perhaps with a headline, and then tear out for 11 am conf
		Keegan agrees with Laidlaw these pages weren’t “filed”: she would sometimes ask Brooks if they could be thrown away.
		Both Carter and Keegan kept Brooks personal and professional diary: Keegan agrees “those things were all kept” from 1995-2011
		Laidlaw suggests that Brooks took up James Murdoch’s suggestion from his time as CEO to keep a notebook: leather bound with green pages
		“No one worked quite as she did…. she drove herself extremely hard,” Laidlaw suggests. “Spot on,” agrees her PA Keegan
		“There was also a softer side,” suggests Laidlaw of Brooks “where she displayed great kindness to you and your family” Keegan agrees
		Laidlaw points out how people worked with Brooks for a long time.
		Laidlaw then says the Sun was a “pretty tough environment”: Keegan says it was “challenging but satisfying… a love hate relationship”
		“In the early days a very male dominated environment,” says Laidlaw of the Sun “not entirely friendly towards women”
		Laidlaw, counsel for Brooks, then establishes “the breadth of things as CEO Mrs Brooks was concerned with.” He goes to filing of 12/07/12
		Going through 2011 files – personal files, LSE files (James Murdoch sent Brooks to study). In cupboard 3 more business related stuff.
		From previous evidence the itemisation of Brooks’ office records circa 2011 runs to over 130 pages.
		Laidlaw pauses over Cupboard 4 of Brooks’ filing: schedule for Afghanistan – Brooks travelled to the bases and Helmand Province
		Keegan had to make sure Brooks had appropriate clothing for Aghanistan. She worked with Apple for newspaper aps
		Laidlaw points out the Brooks supported the troops, and issues such a Bernardos, and Sarah’s Law
		One of the files relates to Comic Relief, another to Davos Trip, European Constitution, Fairbridge – youth charity to help excluded kids
		“Again something pretty close to her heart” says Laidlaw of Fairbridge charity: “she was a comprehensive girl herself”
		Laidlaw alights on Brook files on Huntley, Malaria No More, Mentoring of Shine, the Millies (Military awards) and a phone hacking file
		Brooks other files: police bravery awards, press complaints, press association, Swim Mentoring
		Another file “Volunteering Update”: Brooks required all employees had to volunteer for a charity
		Laidlaw points out the filing for NOTW, the Sun, Sunday Times, The Times: a reference to the CEO notebooks
		A file on Thornwood Academy, a school Brooks supported.
		“Neither was it possible for Rebekah to have a personal life, she didn’t have time to go shopping,” Laidlaw establishes with her PA Keegan
		“One last topic from me,” says Laidlaw for Brooks: “This is about telephones… as editor of the Sun and as CEO.”
		“I suggest she used a single mobile number through that entire time,” says Laidlaw. “She always used as a Blackberry”
		“We reluctantly gave up our blackberrys,” says Keegan. Laidlaw asks if Brooks was against using an iPhone.
		Charlie was provided with a NI laptop and phone when he married Brooks: “He lost phones?” asks Saunders. “Yes.”
		On email addresses, Laidlaw asks Keegan if she just had a single email address. “There wasn’t a second?” “Not that I was aware of?”
		The framed football shirt is now established as a Man U shirt
	Further Prosecution questions to Deborah Keegan
		Edis has a follows up about meetings with Cheryl Carter after her initial police statement in Nov 12 “I have met her…not in a one to one”
		Keegan says she has met Cheryl Carter five or six times since her arrest. Lunches etc accompanied by Sally Brook at the Sun
		Edis asks who gave Keegan who gave her the green light to meet Carter: Kathleen Harris a lawyer working for News UK
		“Why did you talk to News UK’s lawyers about meeting Carter,” Edis. “Did you ask police or CPS whether it was a good idea to meet?” “No”
		Sally Brook is a journalist who supports arrested journalists at the Sun, explains Keegan of their chaperone
		“Is there any note of the conversations that took place when you met?” No. “What was the point of them?” “To meet a friend….”
		Edis asks about any further conversations since her first witness statement in Nov 12 – “just by text” says Keegan.
		“I think so,” says Keegan of her email contact to Carter. Keegan texted her more recently because she no longer had an email address
		Keegan says she has not talked about the case with Carter.
		Edis asks how much notice Keegan had of Brooks’ move in 2009. Keegan says she thinks she knew of promotion two months before
		Edis brings up a letter from Baroness Buscombe chair of PCC 23rd July 2009 about phone hacking to Brooks as “Chief Executive Designate”
		Keegan says she had very little to do with the move of office when Brooks became CEO – it was done by facilities as a “planned move”
		Actually the notebooks were stored on the Wednesday 2nd of September. Edis asks where the boxes were on Monday and Tuesday, Around the floor
		Edis takes Keegan to archiving note says “7 Brooks notebooks” – Keegan she said she would handwrite her entries for archives.
		Keegan said she would have problem lining up the notes for this archive form
		Edis turns to some emails by Keegan about “Rebekah still doing boot camp” seen before
		Edis cites another email from Carter (executive assistant to Brooks) to Keegan (personal assistant): “Is there any difference in title?”
		Keegan says ‘executive assistant’ meant Carter was more senior
		Edis for the crown asks about Keegan asking for bank statements to prove where Brooks was during the Milly Dowler NOTW story in 2002
		Keegan reads out her 14/07/11 email to Carter about the problems of duplicate bank statements for 2002 from HSBC (six year limit)
		Keegan says she was also looking for Brooks’ diary for 2002 during the 2011 period just after the Milly Dowler story broke.
		Asked if diaries were ever archived Keegan replies “I don’t think so.”
		“The system was putting them in the cupboard,” says Keegan. She was asked to look for 2002 Brooks diary, but cannot recall if it was found
		Keegan admits she has not seen the 2002 diary since.
		A short break for 15 mins
		Thanks to speedy action by twitter @support it seems the tweet limit and lock out has been resolved.
		The 15 minute break has been elongated to encompass legal argument at the #hackingtrial
		Break to 2pm
		Back at the #hackingtrial (after a break for legal argument) with Edis re-examining Keegan. He has a new document to insert in jury bundle
		The first document is a 3-page document, says Edis for the Crown.
		Edis then asks the jury to turn forward to a 30 page document with a more legible document
		Edis then goes to the Cheryl Carter defence bundle and asks Brooks’ former PA Deborah Keegan to confirm it’s a witness statement
		Edis cites an 23/06/11 email from Brooks to Keegan and Carter about her 2002 diaries establishing where Brooks was during Milly Dowler story
		Edis cites an email making contact with HSBC from 08/07/11. Keegan says she doesn’t know what it’s about.
		“Why were you looking for Brooks’ bank statements in 2002?” asks Edis. “I was trying to ascertain where she was in 2002,” replies Keegan
		Between those two emails Edis asserts there was a request from Carter to Nick Mayes asking for Brooks’ records.
		Keegan says she would have been sat next to Carter normally. They would never leave the office if Brooks was there.
		Asked for what reason Carter would leave the office if Brooks was there Keegan says “Because she would have to collect something.”
		An email on 15/07/11 from Keegan to Carter about the HSBC statements: Keegan says she might have known then or before what this was about
		Edis wants some clarification of Keegan’s statement she never thought the police would take an interest in Brooks’ records. “I can’t say…”
		Edis says he will assist Keegan, and turns to an email 05/07/11 from Hanna to Brooks cc’ed to Keegan about her security team.
		“If police concern,” writes Hanna, he suggests Brooks switch teams. “Not an email that surprises me,” says Keegan
		Another break for legal argument
		Back with Edis re-examining Keegan on an email from NI head of security 05/07/11 about security for Brooks which mentions “police concern”
		Keegan said she would have been more concerned with press attention than the police concern.
		“At some point it kicked in but not entirely sure when,” says PA Keegan about police interest in her boss Brooks in 2011
		Another email from 06/07/11 about “Ken McDonald’ – confirmed Ken over here but he has to get back to Parly.” Keegan can’t recall who he is
		Keegan is show a ‘mood board’ of Carter’s interest in beauty products and PR
		Keegan confirms Carter would keep these mood boards on her desk or her big handbag.
		Keegan confirms that she had to keep some things for 7 years – business correspondence.
		Keegan says she may have received some formal document about archiving stuff – but cannot recollect any formal rule
		Edis asks Keegan about “a window closing” for her trip to Australia. Very long drawn out process. The deadline was beginning of Feb 2012
		Carter first applied in 2007 for a Australian visa – slot held open for five years.
		Edis asks Keegan how she knew Brooks had nothing to do with the withdrawal of the boxes. “She would have told me.”
		As for the lodging of the boxes in archives in 2009: “She would have no reason to be concerned about that,” says Keegan of Brooks.
		Saunders asks about Brooks notetaking – “they would be put in the filing cabinet.” Edis: That would contain notebooks? “They may have done”
		“Cheryl and I got their by default, we don’t know how we got there,” says Keegan of arriving at deep carpet land of corporate level
		Edis then turns to Brooks’ technical competence with phones etc. “Was she able to work an iPhone?” “Not so much an iPhone… the basics”
		Keegan says Brooks was not so good with iPhone but better with an iPad
		Keegan says she Brooks was fine with a laptop. She got better as time went on.
		Keegan says she still works for NewsUK working for TLS and doing research for corporate affairs.
		Edis goes to three page News International records transfer document. Keegan says she probably has seen the document before.
		The document is written in by Phillipa Bishop – a temp doing filing, under the direction of Carter and Keegan
		The document from Brooks office, dated 22/10/09, lists the contents of five boxes – with 21 files.
		Keegan says it looks like another downsizing with someone helping out with paperwork and filing.
		This was 8 weeks after the first sorting before 02/09/2009: “probably part and parcel of the same thing…. the tail end of the downsizing”
		Keegan says the temp may have got someone from archives to help her with the filing records.
		Edis asks what happened to the Sun office “step by step”. Keegan: “I wouldn’t be able to accurately say how we processed it.” Will you try?
		Keegan says they would assessed their needs. Boxes delivered. Cheryl and herself would have loaded. Move made in the last few days
		“It appears from these documents material was placed in archive on two different dates,” says Edis. Keegan has no idea why. Maybe too heavy
		Saunders points out that the filing is quite detailed – editorial review, Dear Deidre: they are all dated and have been sorted.
		“We got the slight impression you just shoved it in there and got them into archives” says Saunders. “That’s how we dealt with them” says PA
Witness – Jane Viner (Facilities Manager at News International)
	Prosecution Counsel questions Jane Viner
		Bryant Heron for the Crown calls Jane Viner, the facilities manager at News International
		But before then Bryant Heron has a bit of house keeping on the jury bundles for Operation Sacha (alleged coverup counts 6 & 7)
		Jane Viner is still group director for property and facilities for NewsUK, as she was for News International in 2009-2011
		Viner is in charge of properties and all the things that make the property tick.
		“If you’ve got any spare time can you fix the air condition here?” jokes Saunders to Viner.
		Viner had special responsibility for the move to Thomas More Square from Oct 2010 to May 2011
		Viner confirms the executive level moved to TMS in October 2011
		Viner had nothing to do with the Enfield archive for NI
		Bryant Heron wants to know specifically about events in July 2011 when NOTW was closed. The staff email was the first time Viner knew
		On NOTW closure email on the 7th July 2011, Viner was asked by Paul Cheeseborough (chief Tech) and Derek Crowley (HR) to close NOTW offices
		NOTW and Fabulous magazine was on the 2nd floor of TMS. There was police advice on how to close it down.
		Mark Hanna and his team were also involved in securing the NOTW offices. Hanna reported direct to Viner
		After the last edition of NOTW on 09/07/11, each desk, PC and pedestal was given a number, secured and photographed by Hanna’s team
		On Sunday 10th of July 2011, police attended to survey the scene. The offices of editor and senior employees was sealed.
		Viner says in mid July July Susan Panuccio told her that Brooks may be working away from the office. Brooks resigned on 15th July
		Viner went to see Will Lewis running the MSC about preparing for Brooks’ exit that Friday
		Viner was in Lewis’ office the day she resigned: Brooks came in to say “Thankyou, Jane”
		Viner says Will Lewis told him “the police had asked (Brooks) her to leave the office by lunchtime”
		Brooks was in the office with Cheeseborough, Lewis and Greenberg and explained to her she could only leave with personal items.
		Viner escorted Brooks out of the building with a member of security staff: she just had a handbag and a tote bag which Viner carried for her
		Viner returned to see Will Lewis: “Mrs Brooks was now considered a person of interest by police and her office needs to be sealed”
		Viner asked for the locks to Brooks office to be changed, and security staff guarded it
		“What was locked down and secured? Was it the open plan area or just Mrs Brooks’ office?” asks crown. “Just Brooks’ office,” replies Viner
		Bryant Heron winds back to 13th/14th Viner says Mark Hanna was working in Oxfordshire providing off site security for Brooks.
		That following weekend – of 16th/17th – when Brooks’ was arrested, Viner thinks Hanna was in Oxon in morning of Sunday, back in London pm
		Viner explains Hanna reported to her in administrative matters, but took direction on security from members of the executive.
		Head of Security Hanna would provide weekly updates to Viner, but not necessarily a great amount of detail
		Viner confirms to Saunders that it was completely acceptable for Hanna to work to direction of senior executives
		Viner explains that she doesn’t know exactly which executive Hanna was working for during those days in Oxfordshire in July 2011
		Bryant Heron goes through a call schedule which shows Hanna calling Jane Viner.
		Viner said she spoke to Hanna that Sunday morning Brooks was arrested. He wasn’t driving his own car but someone else’s.
		Viner then said she would sort out the insurance on the different cars, since someone else was driving Hanna’s car that Sunday
		Viner made sure Hanna was covered to drive any vehicle, and that his colleague was insured to drive Hanna’s car.
		The other colleague was working for private security
		Viner says working weekends is not unusual: but that Sunday were running executive meetings and building new offices for the MSC.
		Viner says she spoke to Hanna later that day – she was concerned he’d worked three successive weekends.
		Viner doesn’t believe Mark Hanna was in Thomas More Square that Sunday 17th July 2011 when Brooks was arrested.
		Facilities, security and property were located on the second floor of Thomas More Sq, says Viner
		Viner thinks they finished late afternoon on the Sunday: “It was quite a dramatic day…. a flood in the building.”
		On the Monday 18th Viner was asked by Cheeseborough to accompany DS Hartnett to retrieve bags they’d sealed on a previous Friday evening
		Viner cannot recollect if Carter was at work that day.
		Viner asked her facilties manager and discovered 2 items had been sent by courier by Carter to Brooks’ London address on 20th and 21st July
		The post room slip shows Carter posted items to Charlie and Rebekah Brooks: the dockets said ‘small package’ and the other a bike delivery
		Viner became aware that Cheryl Carter was leaving that week – she left on the 21st of July. She asked Viner what she could take
		Viner was given no specific instructions how to deal with Carter’s exit: but she did advise her to leave “all work items in situ”
		Viner said they gave Carter’s desk and files a specific number and it was taken to the MSC for storage – in Wapping
		Once in the safe store in Wapping those items were under control of MSC and security team – she can’t recall if Hanna’s or not
		Viner says that messengers worked for newspapers, a kind of ‘runner’, and so less relevant to the executive floor.
	Counsel for Rebekah Brooks cross examines Jane Viner
		Laidlaw, counsel for Brooks, cross examines Jane Viner, head of Facilities at NI.
		Laidlaw goes back to events the day before Brooks resigns: her departure was being discussed on Thurs 14th July 2011
		Laidlaw says there were discussions about a ‘leave of absence’ and discussions of support for an office for Brooks away from TMS
		Brooks’ resignation was announced at 9.30 the next day. Viner has no direct knowledge of any discussions before then about resignation
		Viner cannot recall Brooks walking around the building saying goodbye to staff.
		Viner was in Knightsbridge when she read the 9.30 am email: didn’t get back to TMS till a few hours later.
		By 10 to midday Viner was in Brooks’ office to supervise sealing office, leaving computer equipment behind.
		Viner remembers a discussion about Brooks’ Blackberry: it was “sealed technology wise… but they can keep the kit”
		Laidlaw says that Blackberries were disabled from accessing NI systems when NOTW was closed.
		Laidlaw asks how Brooks appeared when she was escorted out of the building: “she looked upset…. yes, she did (look shocked)”
		Viner confirms that once Brooks was a ‘person of interest’ her office lock barrel was changed, and keys in security sealed pouch
		Viner can’t confirm directly Brooks computers were just left in the offices
		“To the best of my knowledge the office had been secured,” says Viner of the Friday of Brooks’ resignation.
		Viner confirms personal items returned to Brooks – work related items take to MSC storage in Wapping
		Carter left the week after Brooks: Viner personally supervised the packing of her files on 22/07/11. Items numbered but not checked
		Viner did not know whether the files in Carter’s area was executive material or not.
		Viner will return on Monday for more cross examination by Burke and counsel for Hanna
		Jury not sitting tomorrow because of a funeral

Note: All the defendants deny all the charges. The trial continues.

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