Hacking Trial Live Tweets – 11 Mar

Tuesday 11 March 2014

Summary
	Rebekah Brooks faces more Cross Examination on Count 1 – Phone Hacking
		Day 12 of Brooks on the Witness Stand
		Private Investigators and Sarah’s Law
		Milly Dowler Story
		Brooks on holiday in Dubai
		The Soham Murders
		Jamie Bulger Killers
		Views on Phone Hacking
		Brooks Prepared Statements
	Rebekah Brooks Cross Examined on Counts 6 and 7 – Concealing Evidence
		Lead up to the Closure of the News of the World

Rebekah Brooks faces more Cross Examination on Count 1 – Phone Hacking
	Day 12 of Brooks on the Witness Stand
		Back at the Old Bailey. Depending on how you count non-jury days, it’s day 73 of the #hackingtrial and Brooks’ 12th day in the witness box.
		Jury are back in: Andrew Edis QC continues his cross examination of Brooks – his fourth day
		Edis: “Mrs Brooks. We are going to leave count five and move to count one… there is an additional bundle to be handed out”
		Edis says of this new bundle: “there are some documents in here which the jury have not seen before”
	Private Investigators and Sarah’s Law
		Edis asks Brooks about Mulcaire: Brooks says she never heard his name, but knew there were PIs working for paper
		Brooks said previously she only tasked private investigators in regard to Sarah’s Law: Edis asks “who’?
		Brooks mentions a company “known across Fleet St called JJ services” who traced “particular paedophiles”
		“JJ services were used across Fleet St,” Brooks reiterates: “My memory then… it sounded like a Sarah’s Law tasking”
		Brooks mentions a select committee – but there are rules, Edis points out, about how that can be mentioned in court.
		Brooks says she also responded to a Guardian inquiry about Steve Whittamore: “Quite a lot of fuss about him,” says Edis.
		Brooks talks about the first concern about use of PIs: “It was in 2003… and a report came out in 2006” says Brooks.
		Brooks agrees that Steve Whittamore was an important character in that 2006 investigation: Brooks says she tasked him over Sarah’s Law
		Edis explains how the rules over Select Committees are “quite complicated”. Saunders explains it relates to Parliamentary Privilege
		Brooks recalls “lists of the all the newspaper groups that had used private detectives” in early noughties: Guardian had queried Brooks
		“Do you know you tasked him in relation to Sarah’s Law?” asks Edis. “Definitely more than once… I used him as a dept head” says Brooks
		“Were you aware of other PIs working on that campaign for your newspaper?” asks Edis. Brooks “It was really hands on deck….”
		“I’m sure I was aware other private detectives and trace agents… were very helpful. But I couldn’t name them,” says Brooks.
		“You would have been aware of the results wouldn’t you?” says Edis. Brooks: “Yes”. “Because you were going to put them in the paper” “Yes”
		“I was trying to find convicted paedophiles living in the community, and the risks… it wasn’t just their address,” Brooks on Sarah’s Law
		“This is your responsibility, your campaign, wasn’t it?” asks Edis. Brooks: “I relied on my department heads to do due diligence”
		“You could ask who provided these addresses, and Greg could tell you no?” Edis asks Brooks of checking paedophile addresses.
		“You didn’t check any of them?” Edis asks Brooks. “No. Not myself. I relied on the journalists out there.”
		Brooks: “It wasn’t my job to go and trace them… I was dealing with Sara and Mike Payne, I was dealing with Govt and police”
		“You knew they might be subject to attack,” says Edis. Brooks agrees “there was a risk”. Edis: “terribly important to get the facts right”
		Edis explains Brooks has seen this bundle over the weekend. A 25/07/00 email recovered from Mulcaire in 2011 to Miskiw with names.
		Mulcaire email to Miskiw names people convicted of sex offences “all to do with Sarah’s Law” Brooks agrees.
		Edis points out asterisks by the side of three of the 22 names of these sex offenders traced by Mulcaire.
		The email was faxed and recovered in hard copy according to Edis.
		“The fax that was sent had 13 pages,” says Edis. The email comes to a NOTW news desk editor.
		“NOW newsdesk News Perv 2” note from another editor has a list of phone ins concerning paedophiles from “members of the public”
		Two more newsdesk emails from tow NOTW new desk has more names of alleged paedophiles and asterisked names.
		Brooks agrees that these faxes to Mulcaire seem to be cross checking paedophiles with NOTW newsdesk.
		A third newsdesk editor – Nadia Cohen – is noted “NT paedo”: Brooks agrees this could related to Neville Thurlbeck.
		Edis adduces related notes from Mulcaire and NOTW news articles naming and shaming paedos.
		Another document shows Mulcaire accessing “Sex Offenders List UK” and then onto Week 1 of NOTW Sarah’s Law campaign
		More extracts from the NOTW shown to the jury – related to the Mulcaire tasking on Sarah’s Law.
		More names asterisked for Mulcaire – GM initials – “probably is Greg Miskiw’ confirms Brooks.
		The last 3 pages of this bundle shows 15 names and addresses that marry up with the asterisked ones.
		“Did any of these people tell you where they got their information from” asks Edis of the various journalists named. “No,” says Brooks.
		“I spoke to all the dept heads,” says Brooks: “The only reporter I spoke to directly was Rob Kellaway, he was down with Sara and Mike Payne”
		Edis shows a list of payments for Mulcaire 01/08/00 £1,275: “Did you know one of the people being paid for Sarah’s law was Mulcaire’s co?”
		BREAKING: Mulcaire paid £1,250 by NOTW for Sarah’s Law campaign tracing sex offenders.
		Same document shows Mulcaire paid in regard to Jamie Bulger story
	Milly Dowler Story
		Edis turns to the amended Milly Dowler bundle: “this is going to be a bit cumbersome,” he says, juggling the NOTW articles as well.
		Edis: “You did not take a special interest around Milly Dowler‘s disappearance?” Brooks: “Course… but not same intensity as Sarah’s Law”
		Edis is reading from Brooks’ defence statement that says she didn’t take particular interest “because of the way it was presented by police”
		Brooks talks about police briefing that suggested Milly Dowler‘s father was a suspect.
		“Who told you about it?” asks Edis. “It would have been… Mr Miskiw” says Brooks of police briefing on Dowler disappearance.
		“When do you think it was said?” asks Edis of Milly’s father being suspect. “I think it was early on,” says Brooks.
		“When I look back at the papers and review this case I think it must be early on… because we approach it like Sarah’s case” says Brooks
		“You wouldn’t offer a reward if you thought it was the father?” asks Edis. “It would be strange for the police, but they might have reasons”
		Brooks reasserts that she thinks the police briefing on Milly Dowler‘s father was early on. Edis turns to new docs “Let’s see shall we?”
		Edis turns to the news list from NOTW 26/03/02 which mentions Milly and Sarah’s Law in politics section
		“Sarah’s law had been wound down previous January you told us,” says Edis. “It wasn’t finished, I carried it on at the Sun” says Brooks
		The next day on NOTW newslist Milly appears as ‘Milly murder’: “I don’t know why that appears on the list,” says Brooks.
		Brooks says she was at the daily conference that Wednesday in March 2002: “It’s potentially a crime or runaway schoolgirl”
		“It could have been a conference when Mr Miskiw said the police were taking it very seriously,” says Brooks.
		“Early on in my mind she was a runaway schoolgirl.” says Brooks.
		“These documents were compiled by the News Desk for you to look at,” says Edis. “Yes,’ says Brooks.
		30/03/02 Kuttner – copied to Coulson and Brooks – sends various leaders “makes a clear link between Dowler and Sarah Payne case”
		Brooks concedes there was a link in her mind between these two cases: “Sara lived three streets away from the Dowlers”
		Brooks concedes she would have been “extremely interested in this story” because she might have “suffered same fate as Sarah Payne”
		“I hope I haven’t said I wasn’t interested… I was interested. When we got briefing about father. I’d been critised for predatory paedos”
		“The NSPCC told me that most child abuse occurred closer to home.” says Brooks
		Edis goes to next week of news schedules listing Missing Milly: NOTW article on the Sunday Brooks went on holiday
		Brooks says she would have been interested in this story when she went on holiday to Dubai.
		“You wanted to keep this story under review, in case there were developments.” says Edis of Brooks’ holiday in Dubai.
		“I didn’t see it as a Sarah’s Law issue.. otherwise I might not have gone away,” says Brooks.
		“Did you tell the police any of that.. ever?” asks Edis. “No I don’t think I put it in my statement,” says Brooks.
		“Why didn’t you tell them all about Milly Dowler and what happened when interviewed in May 2012?” asks Edis
		“This has nothing to do with change of lawyers,” says Edis. Saunders intervenes.
		Brooks explains in 2011 she appointed a new lawyer, and advice was not to comment – but she wanted to provide a statement.
		Edis “You don’t have to answer anything on legal advice if you don’t want to. I’d like to know why you didn’t answer questions in May 2012”
		“On that date, in your prepared statement, you didn’t say anything about Milly Dowler at all” says Edis.
		“Why didn’t you tell the police why you didn’t take a direct interest in Milly Dowler,” asks Edis. Brooks says answered central allegations
		Edis: “You did know that Milly Dowler‘s phone being hacked was a central allegation didn’t you” Brooks: “I knew what was in press”
		Edis asks if Brooks was present at conferences with Kuttner where this was discussed. Brooks says “as a principle he was there”
		Edis shows Kuttner email to Surrey Police.
		12/04/02 email from Kuttner to Assistant Chief Constable of Surrey Police about Dowler. Brooks is on holiday
		Brooks says she knows nothing of email. Kuttner talks about identifying sex offenders around Milly Dowler.
		Brooks says she “possibly” was aware that NOTW were looking for paedophiles around Milly Dowler‘s home: “It was 12 years ago” says Brooks
		“It was 12 years ago,” says Edis, “But since 2011 and the Guardian story this has been a central part of your life”
		“Did you do an investigation of child sex offenders around Milly Dowler‘s home” asks Edis. Brooks: “I can’t remember… but I may have done”
		Kuttner asks a dozen detailed questions of Surrey police about other incidents around the Dowler story.
		“Nothing unusual about Mr Kuttner policing the police this way,” says Brooks. Kuttner demands for police support over a NOTW reward
		“Had you repeatedly offered a reward” asks Edis. “Is that something that would require your authority?” “Yes,” says Brooks
		Edis asks if Brooks gave authority for a reward for Dowler case: “I don’t remember exact conversation… I would have said yes,” says Brooks
		Police reply from Dep Chief Constable to Craig Denholm investigating Dowler asking for answers to Kuttner’s questions 12/04/12
		“Did Surrey police discourage you from running the story?” asks Edis. “No” says Brooks. “Pretty keen on media coverage according to email”
		Brooks says she doesn’t remember this moment in police inquiry. Edis: “We’ve got to the moment you’re on holiday”
		Missing Milly still high on NOTW news schedules throughout this week in April 02. Edis asks what time the Friday eve conference takes place
		Brooks says Friday conference would be late afternoon: three journalists names now attached to Milly Dowler story.
		“Sarah Arnold would have written some copy,” Edis asks. Brooks agrees she and 2 others. “Might have been filed to the newsdesk”
		Edis shows the lineage costs for Milly Dowler story on 13/04/02 cost £2k. Michael Greco story costs £15k that week.
		Edis shows a circulation and losses and lateness report for NOTW that Sunday in April 02 copied to Rupert Murdoch.
		List includes Murdoch, Hinton, Brooks, Coulson: “NOTW was late out that Sunday” says Edis of internal NI note.
		“It’s very difficult to say whether editorial lateness, or printing breaks where the paper was severed, or late delivery,” says Brooks.
		“Almost cost of doing business losses,” says Brooks of lateness. She says difficult to see if editorial or production.
		“It could be lateness for second or third edition, or any number of links in the chain,” Brooks says of lateness of NOTW that Sunday.
		Edis turns back to the various editions of NOTW on Dowler: first 24/03/0 ‘Hunt for Missing Girl”
		31/03/02 NOTW a two page spread on Milly Dowler, explicitly links Sarah Payne and Milly Dowler with a Sara Payne column.
		“There is a suggestion to the reader that the same thing might have happened to Milly as happened to Sarah,” says Edis.
		“I think we were very careful… Sara was very careful…. when she wrote that,” says Brooks. Edis says there’s a “suggestion” of link.
		07/04/02 edition of NOTW: has article about CCTV footage on Dowler.
		“You’d have been aware of this at the time,” asks Edis “Of course, yes” says Brooks.
		“You go on holiday…. If she had been found alive by NOTW, would that have been a big story?” asks Edis.
		Brooks agrees Milly Dowler story, if she was found, much bigger than Michael Greco story.
		Brooks says if Milly Dowler had been found, it would be a big story: “But depends on circumstances whether we would kick this off front page
		Brooks is asked about her calls to Michael Greco publicist while in Dubai: “I know I made calls… seen phone records… still on the case”
		“We all know you were on ‘Beppe Blasts Eastenders’ because you’ve drawn attention to it,” says Edis. “You were working on the paper”
		“If they’d found Milly, you as the editor would have decided what went on front page,” says Edis. “I would have talked to Andy Coulson.”
		Edis asks if Coulson told Brooks about the search for Milly: “No,” says Brooks. Saunders asks “Does that surprise you?”
		“I would remember being told if she was alive,” says Brooks of the ongoing NOTW investigation into her working at a factory in Telford.
		“If it had been believed back in Wapping… they’d found Milly Dowler working in a factory, they would have told me,” says Brooks.
		Back after the break at the #hackingtrial
		“If you’d been editor for that weekend… you would have expected them to tell you that they sent a party of journalists off to Telford”
		“As an editor, you’re reliant on what the news editor tells you…. Dept heads told you thinks when they had good idea what’s going on”
		Edis says “you wouldn’t have thought it likely” that Milly Dowler would get a job at the Epson factory when she was only 13.
		Edis turns to voicemail message cited in first version of the Milly Dowler story that Sunday 14/04/02 from a recruitment agency.
		Edis reminds the jury how the story is changed and bumped from page 9 of NOTW.
		21/04/02 Edis cite NOTW edition Brooks edited “Milly would never run away she was afraid of the dark”
		Edis turns to other 31/04/02 NOTW articles in new bundle – including a leader on page 6. “Would you have been responsible for sentiment?”
		“31 days after Milly vanished into mid air we print pages from her diary” says NOTW leader that weekend. “I would have read it,” says Brooks
		“You would have read it and presumably approved of it because you were the editor,” says Edis. “Yes,’ says Brooks of Dowler leader.
		28/04/02 is the first NOTW article to mention Dowler family as suspect: “Everything before this is parents praying for her return”
		Brooks says the coverage changed because of an official line of inquiry rather than an unofficial briefing about Milly Dowler.
		15/09/02 NOTW on Soham murders: “cuffed cops in court” report on 2 named police officers facing charges of downloading child pornography
	Brooks on holiday in Dubai
		Edis takes us back to the timeline of Brooks’ Dubai holiday: Mulcaire tasked on 10/04/02 by Neville. NOTW arrive in Telford on 12/04/02
		It is jointly agreed Mulcaire hacked Milly Dowler‘s phone between those two dates on 10/04/02 and 12/04/02: Brooks rings editor’s desk
		Edis points out this isn’t the night editor. “Who would you want to speak to?” Brooks: “To speak to the PA or the editor?” says Brooks
		“One person you would want to speak to was the editor” Edis says of that Thursday. “It’s possible” says Brooks.
		“You’re calling Mr Reid, and Mr Coulson is also calling Mr Reid” to do with ‘Beppe Blasting East Enders’ points out Edis of call schedule
		“That was very much your story,” points out Edis of Brooks’ involvement in Michael Greco splash.
		We’re all agreed, says Saunders, that Thursday is a day of decisions at NOTW. More calls that Friday 12/04/02 from Brooks to editor’s desk
		“These are long calls, unlikely you’re talking to your PAs,” says Edis. Brooks:”I’m sure I have spoken at length to PA… can’t rule it out”
		One call on the Friday is for 38 mins: “I assume that’s the editor,” says Brooks.
		“I am saying I would have definitely spoken to the editor when I was on holiday.” says Brooks. “About missing Surrey Schoolgirl?” asks Edis
		“I would have asked how the paper was going that week,” says Brooks. “And the missing Surrey schoolgirl was of interest to you.” says Edis
		“We can see by line 60, by 5.30pm on the Friday, NOTW was ringing the Epson factory in Telford” says Edis. Brooks says no one told her.
		“Do you accept that for a newspaper to dispatch 5 or 6 journalists it would be quite a big story,” asks Edis. Brooks accepts it is a lot.
		“Do you deny you had a conversation about the missing Surrey schoolgirl?” asks Edis. “I don’t remember one,” says Brooks.
		“I only remember Beppe because it was an expensive story I’d done before” says Brooks.
		Brooks is asked if she’s aware of any other development in the Dowler story: No, she says.
		Brooks says she never heard of the Telford incident with Milly Dowler.
		“Nobody tells the police about the voicemail until the following Saturday, someone must have made decision, was that you?” “No it was not”
		Brooks says “at the time” I didn’t know voicemail hacking was illegal. But a breach of privacy.
		Brooks says if someone had asked her hypothetically about hacking Milly Dowler‘s phone she might have said “yes”
		But if anyone had told her Milly Dowler was still alive she would have told the police: “I wouldn’t have delayed for one second”
		“They’d have to be sure before they told the police,” asks Justice Saunders. ‘Depends on how random the information was,” says Brooks
		Edis: “I’m asking a voicemail, and decision to delay telling police about voicemail, is that something that should be raised with you?”
		“The only person who could raise that with me was my deputy editor or my night editor, and they didn’t raise it with me,” says Brooks.
		Wednesday the following week: “Your first day back at work at a conference after your holiday” says Edis.
		Brooks can’t remember if Kuttner and Thurlbeck were there. Probably Coulson and Miskiw.
		“There would have been somewhere there responsible for previous NOTW edition… and the story is still listed ‘Missing Milly” says Edis
		Edis says Milly was going to be subject of an article and leader that week. Brooks says there was a budget that week on National Insurance
		Edis says Brooks would have been interested in police case on Dowler: “There may have been” discussion of Dowler says Brooks.
		“Did Mr Kuttner not say he’d told police about the voicemail?” asks Edis. “No, I don’t think so” says Brooks.
		“How do you keep on top of a running story without asking the coverage of it the previous week,” asks Edis.
		Brooks says “it’s difficult to remember what I was told. I would be told what was coming up that week” Edis points out Milly figures
		“Did anybody tell you what had happened the previous week?” asks Edis. “I don’t remember anyone.’ says Brooks.
		Brooks is asked about Thurlbeck’s rank: “He might have attended in Miskiw’s absence” says Brooks of morning conference.
		Edis points out that Friday conference show changing copy on Milly Dowler. On same day Kuttner sends email. Brooks says he didn’t tell her
		“This is a question about the standards and rules that applied…” asks Edis of Kuttner “Would there be any reason for him not telling you”
		Edis says if Kuttner was talking to Dep Chief Constable he would have told his editor what he was doing.
		“I have no recollection of him telling me about this email” says Brooks
		Edis: “Mrs Brooks. You must have known what your paper was doing at that time” “No they didn’t” says Brooks. “Nobody told me” says Brooks
		Edis says; “You learned about the phone hacking on the phone” to Henessy. Brooks: “I did not know of the phone hacking of Milly Dowler“
		Edis shows another occasion when NOTW in 14/07/02 linked Sarah’s Law Campaign with Milly Dowler on the same page.
	The Soham Murders
		Edis is still on Summer 2002: 08/09/02 edition of NOTW about Huntley and Carr – the Soham story.
		Brooks accepts she was directly personally interested in Soham story; two police officers investigated over child porn.
		Brooks says she had never heard of the two constables beforehand. She says it was on the news list, so might have talked to Thurlbeck
		NOTW published the Soham police officer story the day after they appeared in court.
		Mulcaire’s notes name the police officers several times, with a tasking from Neville on 13/09/02 and addresses listed
		“Neville tasked Mulcaire to investigate these 2 policeman, were you involved in that,” says Edis. “I don’t remember that” says Brooks.
		Edis turns to an email chain to Brooksfrom the same day about “Porn Cops in court’ next day and “Neville said he had it under control”
		“If Neville was news editor I would be directing all questions to him. But I don’t remember him saying he’d tasked Mulcaire on this, or PI”
		Edis: “But this is about accessing illegal website, you want them to commit a crime, to do the same thing… 2 cops have been arrested for”
		“Why did you want them to commit that crime” ask Edis. Brooks “Because I thought it was in the public interest… to investigate child porn”
		Edis talks about operation Candyman from FBI and Operation Ore in the UK: “websites that are already under investigation in UK”
		“Why was it in the public interest for Neville to get some child porn… for your newspaper?” asks Edis.
		Brooks says that if police hadn’t closed down those child porn websites it would have been in the public interest.
		Edis suggests the child porn details might have made NOTW story “more interesting”: “It is in the public interest to check,” says Brooks
		“It was part of the campaign to shut down child porn sites,” says Brooks. Edis: “This is example of Neville tasking Mulcaire…” says Edis
		“Example of Neville tasking Mulcaire on something that was a direct personal interest” says Edis. Brooks cites Sarah’s Law internet campaign
		19/09/02 email copied to Brooks about Daily Mail a body being found that could be Milly Dowler.
		20/09/02 Brooks asks for “answers for night conference” – “Milly – confirmation of body. Updated interview with parents and Gemma”
		Brooks asks in Dowler email “what happened to the dad theory?” Brooks can’t remember now what happened to original police suspicions
		Brooks email asks “what happened to the porn cops… what happened to Huntley suicide…. are we talking to Maxine?”
		Brooks says “directly interested” in driving the Soham story. “I kept an eye – for want of better word – on Huntley and Carr,” she says.
		Mulcaire notes show Greg Miskiw tasking Mulcaire in Nov 2002 over Huntley and Carr.
		Brooks says it wasn’t unusual to use people from outside the paper to write to people like Huntley: Mulcaire tasked by Miskiw to do this.
		“I did know he used private detectives,” says Brooks of Miskiw. She explains to Saunders about how NOTW wrote to prisoners on remand
		“It’s undercover writing, pretending to be a pen-pal,” Brooks explains of this Miskiw tasking of Mulcaire.
		Mulcaire notes also have addresses and phone details for Maxine Carr’s sister 24/01/03 two days after Brooks left NOTW.
		Brooks says she didn’t know Miskiw was tasked to hack Maxine Carr. Back at 2.05 pm
		Back after lunch at the #hackingtrial
		Brooks says she wants to clarify something about the pen-pal: she wouldn’t have paid for stories. A serious breach of the code.
		Edis says the Mulcaire note might be about Carr still writing to Huntley.
		Edis turns to Mulcaire notes “associated with paedophiles” – addresses have been redacted. Top left taskings date from 2002/3
		One of the Mulcaire notebook taskings appear on front page of NOTW name and shame campaign. Brooks says she didn’t know he was involved
		Edis turns to the story of the Lotto Rapist 11/09/04 – the Sun catches the rapist. Brooks says “with assistance of tracing agencies”
		Brooks says she thinks she remembers the Sun using local agencies and tracing agents. “People told you did they?” asks Edis.
		“I wanted the Sun to find him first because he was our original story.” says Brooks of Lotto Rapist.
		10/08/05 or 15/06/05 tasking by Greg Miskiw of Mulcaire on the Lotto rapist. Laidlaw points out this is an unbound leaf of Mulcaire notes.
		Another page of Mulcaire notes relate to the Lotto rapist. Four more pages seem to related to him, or have connected details.
		Edis: “This shows Mulcaire also pursuing” the Lotto Rapist. “I’m not surprised the NOTW was trying to find him,” says Brooks.
		“Is that at a time when your own discussions with the editor of the NOTW were frank and open?” asks Edis. “Yes,’ says Brooks.
		Brooks says “I know this sounds funny” but a freelancer working on Alan Shearer story found Lotto Rapist in Sun world exclusive.
	Jamie Bulger Killers
		Edis asks about Brooks’ interest in the killers of Jamie Bulger.
		Edis cites confidentiality agreement between Mulcaire and Miskiw 06/06/01: Brooks says she knew nothing about it at the time.
		Brooks said in previous evidence she doesn’t remember email from Miskiw about paying £7.5k for a Bulger story “everyone else had”
		Brooks doesn’t remember the story: Edis says the story about one of the Bulger killers having a mental illness.
		“Did you never ask who Greg Miskiw what we paying this £7.5k for?” asks Edis. Brooks says she was complaining about desk limits.
		Now moved to 2002: “We must weave in MoS stuff into our Bulger Copy” writes Brooks to NOTW editors
		Edis says most the material for this NOTW Bulger story came from Mulcaire – he was paid £1k
		“You took a direct interest in this story,” says Edis. “I think I was reacting to the Mail on Sunday,” says Brooks
		“Did you ask where that story had come from” asks Edis. Brooks says “If Greg Miskiw had said came from a great source, he’s very experienced
		“This was a continuing running story in which you were always interested” says Edis. “Yes, the Bulger story was very controversial”
		“You wanted to be ahead of the competition,” says Edis. “It would have been nice to tell our readers first,” says Brooks.
		Brooks points out the legal restrictions on identifying the Bulger case: “to protect them to prevent them being killed” says Edis.
		Edis has a copy of the ‘Bulger killer trying to commit suicide’ NOTW from June 2002. Brooks looks at it.
		Brooks can’t help Edis with what the original elements of this NOTW story was.
		Edis “the suggestion is that Greg Mulcaire was often tasked to follow your agenda” Brooks repeats she never heard of him.
	Views on Phone Hacking
		“What did you think of phone hacking in 2001-2003?” asks Edis. “A serious breach of privacy,” says Brooks.
		Brooks says she would have only published a phone hacking story if “overwhelmingly in the public interest”
		Brooks says she has read a piece overnight from that era that suggested journalists were using phone hacking.
		Brooks says of Loehnis conversation in 2010 at Cameron’s party that she discussed Andy Coulson “being part of the story” with him.
		“It doesn’t strike me as unusual of having said to him that this issue was live in the late 90s,” says Brooks of hacking chat with Loehnis
		Brooks confirms there were rumours that “some journalists” were using phone hacking while she was editor of NOTW: “never saw any evidence”
		“Did you react to that knowledge by doing anything to make sure it was happening in your newspaper?” asks Edis of phone hacking.
		Brooks says she never explicitly said no phone hacking, but she ran a “clean ship”
		Brooks doesn’t remember “having a laugh” with Piers Morgan at Coulson Birthday party. She vaguely remembers Ambi Sitham.
		“She got the year wrong… it was 2004,” says Brooks. “I don’t remember subject of phone hacking: the Sun had a big story (Hutton report)”
		Brooks says she doesn’t remember Piers Morgan talking about phone hacking, but he might have said that.
		Brooks says she remembers that she had to take serious calls on Hutton report.
		“I don’t remember Piers Morgan saying he’d hacked my phone” repeats Brooks.
		Edis asks if Brooks told Eimear Cook about phone hacking and McCartney: “I didn’t know about Mulcaire” says Brooks.
		02/06/02 was the McCartney story: the Eimear Cook meeting was in 2006. Edis asks what Brooks thought the source of McCartney story was.
		“I may have been told or I may not have been,” Brooks says of source of McCartney ring story.
		Brooks agrees that, at the time of Eimear Cook meeting, she didn’t think phone hacking was illegal, but knew it was used by journalists
		“You took it seriously enough you changed the pin on your own phone,” says Edis. “Did you advise her to do the same?” “No, I don’t think so”
		Brooks says she advised Cook on media coverage.
	Brooks Prepared Statements
		Edis turns to Brooks prepared statements: first is 15/07/11 “It’s expected each individual…. acts within code and within the law”
		On same prepared statement Brooks says Milly Dowler article from 14/04/02 was “when she was on holiday”: Edis asks how she knew?
		Brooks says she’s pretty sure first Guardian article mentioned date of NOTW Dowler piece: her desk diary said she was away.
		Credit card checks confirmed Dubai.
		Edis asks where Brooks’ desk diaries were kept. Brooks confirms she knew where they were.
		Edis turns to emails from Brooks’ Blackberry: 23/06/11 Brooks writes to Kemp “we need to talk about phone hacking”
		“27 minutes later you email Carter ‘we need my 2002 and 2003 diaries… was that to do with phone hacking?” asks Edis.
		Brooks says it’s nothing to do with phone hacking – but about a meeting with commissioner of Scotland Yard.
		“This is three years ago, and not ancient history, and a huge time very important to how your life has gone in last few years” says Edis.
		“Harbottle and Lewis emails were a very big development” says Edis. Brooks agrees. But she’s not sure if Dispatches doc uppermost in mind
		Brooks says the Dispatches request might have come through NOTW or corporate affairs. “I think NOTW were asked questions about it”
		Brooks says she cannot remember when Dispatches request came through. Corporate affairs next to her office.
		Edis says Brooks had heard about Harbottle and Lewis in April 2011. Brooks said they had feedback from Cressida Dick to keep quiet.
		Brooks says lawyers from NI asked her to confirm where she was in December 2002. “Why would Harbottle and Lewis folder lead to that?”
		Brooks says the lawyer request for her to check her diaries was about an email from Coulson to Goodman over green books.
		Brooks said she’d handed over the H&L files to Cressida Dick three days before
		Brooks says she thinks the lawyer request was verbal. She told them the answer by email or verbally.
		Brooks says both dispatches and Harbottle and Lewis issues both happening in June. Edis asks: “Are you able to help with documents?”
		“What was on your mind that night was phone hacking” says Edis. “That’s what you’re emailing Mr Kemp about”.
		“I wanted to tell him before police told him,” says Brooks of contacting Kemp about being hacked. Edis: “But you’ve known that for years”
		Brooks says she might not have told Kemp back in 2006 about her phone being hacked because “things were pretty strained”
		Edis”In fact I suggest you were preparing to establish you’d been on holiday when Milly Dowler‘s phone was hacked. You needed him and diary”
		Brooks denies this. She says she didn’t know about Milly Dowler‘s phone being hacked till 4th July 2011
		Edis turns to statement that says Brooks “wouldn’t have countenanced phone hacking – that’s not your case though, is it?”
		Brooks says she appreciates she didn’t put in her statement “overwhelming public interest”.
		In her evidence, Edis points out, Brooks had justified phone hacking to target an arms dealer because it was in the public interest.
		Edis says “this isn’t credible. You’re willing to allow your reporter to commit crime in PI… but you didn’t think phone hacking was crime”
		“if you didn’t think it was a crime, in regard to phone hacking, you’d need even less persuasion to allow it,” suggests Edis.
		Brooks said she defended the PCC. “So this part of your statement is wrong,” says Edis. “It doesn’t have public interest, but not wrong”
		“I have no knowledge of this interception that took place” says prepared statement on Milly Dowler. Edis turns to May 2012 statement
		Edis points out that Milly Dowler isn’t mentioned at all in May 2012 statement.
		“”My Mulcaire was pursuing your agenda, with your journalists, with your money” says Edis. “Can you explain my agenda” says Brooks.
		Edis explains her interest in sex offenders, paedophiles, and celebrities.
		“You say all this was hidden from you?” asks Edis. Brooks: “I hadn’t heard of Mulcaire” “Hidden from you by Miskiw, Thurlbeck, Kuttner?”
		Justice Saunders asks Brooks to read through paragraph relating to Max Clifford settlement
		“What’s not there… is any reference to stopping…. Mulcaire naming other people at NOTW, ” says Saunders.
		Brooks says the reference to Mulcaire was inadvertently left out.
		Edis asks about Andy Gilchrist: he was hacked in December of 2002.
		Brooks confirms the coverage in NOTW of Gilchrist was quite extensive “a determined effort to find things out about his life”.
		“I was interested in Mr Gilchrist and the strike, I wouldn’t say I was interested in his private life’ says Brooks.
		Edis points out that under her editorship of the Sun, Brooks had a front page, a leader and a cartoon on Gilchrist’s affair 2 years earlier
		Brooks is asked whether running Gilchrist story was to “undermine his political position” – “It was a good story,” says Brooks.
		Edis asks if Brooks knew where the Gilchrist story came from: Brooks says they paid the source. Dan Evans said he sold to the Sun
		Brooks wasn’t in for Dan Evans evidence – but read something about it on twitter.
		Saunders says: “Don’t believe everything you read on Twitter”
		Laidlaw intervenes. We talked about this in detail. Do we gain anything? Saunders says no long speeches. Let’s just move on.
		Brooks denies she was still looking for more stories on Gilchrist through phone hacking.
		5 minute break
		Justice Saunders has spoken out: “Don’t believe everything you read on twitter” But you read that on twitter. Figure that one out.
		Back after the break at the #hackingtrial – still dealing with metaphysical implications of Saunders ruling not to believe in Twitter
Rebekah Brooks Cross Examined on Counts 6 and 7 – Concealing Evidence
	Lead up to the Closure of the News of the World
		Edis says “we’re getting to the end of everyone will be pleased to learn”: he asks jury to dive down to find a long forgotten bundle.
		Edis goes to a dark blue bundle for count 6 and 7: 16/10/10 email between Anderson and Brooks and suspension of NOTW journalist
		Break for legal argument.
		Jury back in after break for legal argument.
		Brooks says she thinks Myler had suspended this NOTW journalist shortly after this email. Anderson, from corporate affairs, wanted statement
		Brooks email says “what do we gain by making and statement and what do we lose”: Anderson replies “we lose credibility”
		“That means that the company’s policy of single rogue reporter had changed some months before that?” asks Edis.
		Brooks says that since 2009, when For Neville email came into public domain “company had moved away from rogue reporter”
		Brooks agrees that “publicly” Anderson was right in 2010 that NI had only moved away from rogue reporter “in recent months”
		Brooks says she saw some Mulcaire documents on Guardian website, and was querying whether taskings identified a NOTW journalist
		Edis asks Brooks she first saw the “three emails that closed the News of the World” shown to her by John Chapman.
		Anderson says he was ‘privately’ aware of other names coming out. “I think he’s talking about civil liability cases” says Brooks
		“At or about this time was it clear to you (another NOTW journalist) had also been involved in tasking Mulcaire?” Edis asks Brooks.
		Brooks: “I’m only going by the email… all we’ve got is some documents….” Edis: “But when emails came to light no further room for doubt”
		Email from Will Lewis to Brooks on rogue reporter cited: “we left that behind months ago”
		Brooks concedes that around this time was the first public statement accepting wrongdoing on phone hacking after 2006/7 convictions.
		07/04/10 is the date of the email exchange. Brooks says she hadn’t seen the Harbottle and Lewis file by this point. She say later in April
		CORECTION: April 2011. Brooks says she first realised in March police interested in her when DAC Akers removed her from confidentiality club
		Edis turns to meeting between Brooks and Coulson 14/01/11: “I told him about the emails I think,” says Brooks of that meeting.
		25/01/11 Brooks email about blackberry keeping cutting out cited. “It was acting strangely” Edis “Operation Weeting started the next day”
		“From March that year you thought that sooner or later the police would want to talk to you?” asks Edis. “I was quite upset…. yes”
		Edis asks about Ian Burton: Brooks confirms he helped with the criminal side of the hacking scandal.
		Edis asks what the ‘prep’ with Burton was supposed to be. “I think we were talking about the police reaction to Harbottle and Lewis file”
		04/07/11 First statement on Milly Dowler: “we’ve been co-operating fully with Operation Weeting…. we will cooperate fully”
		“Was that your personal intention?” asks Edis. “It was certainly the company’s intention” says Brooks.
		Next day Brooks writes to Surrey Police: “I was shocked by these revelations that I’d previously not heard” 05/07/11
		Brooks email says “we would be most interested in who at NOTW was spoken to”: Edis “Did you know… if anyone had spoken to Surrey police?”
		Brooks says she didn’t know of any NOTW journalist had contacted Surrey Police. “Why did you ask about it then?” asks Edis.
		Brooks says “I’m obviously asking the Chief Constable” because the trial had happened, and Mark Lewis’ had said they had.
		Brooks says the email to Surrey police offering to help their ongoing investigations represented her state of mind at the time.
		Brooks says she was trying to establish from Surrey Police whether Mulcaire had deleted voicemails.
		Brooks says she was planning to cooperate with the police as fully as possible. Edis points out she didn’t answer police questions on arrest
		Brooks says she had new lawyers and new advice. But did provide statement answering ‘central allegations against me’
		“You’re not a person who just does what they are told by lawyers. You’re an experienced user of lawyers. You take advice, But make decision”
		“It’s up to you whether you co-operate with police,” says Edis. “Yes I made the final decision” “But you’d been aware for months” “Yes”
		“Since the 4th of July you’d been thinking of Milly Dowler” says Edis. “They gave you a choice of days and a choice of police stations”
		Brooks: “I didn’t think it was unfair I was asked questions. Milly Dowler‘s phone was accessed when I was editor. But took legal advice”
		“I was very keen to make a prepared statement… against abhorrent allegations against me. True today as it was in 2011” says Brooks.
		“I don’t think they needed to arrest” says Brooks of prepared statement complaining about police arrest. Went through several drafts.
		Edis asks if Brooks still thinks it unfair or unreasonable to be questioned under those circumstances. Brooks said she felt that way at time
		Brooks accepts she was given warning from police, and prior notice about what they wanted to talk about – phone hacking and payments.
		“You had an entirely fair opportunity to answer questions” says Edis. Brooks: “That wasn’t the legal advice I was given”
		Edis says “you promised to co-operate entirely with the inquiry but when given an opportunity you didn’t” Brooks: “Circumstances change”
		Brooks asks about the Plan B email: “it’s you desperately fighting to keep your job”. Brooks denies this “it was a complicated situation”
		Brooks says she’d known since March/April: “my bosses want me to see and oversee closure of NOTW”
		“There was great concern in the company that the H&L file had not been addressed in 2007,” says Brooks. “Big concern of company”
		Edis cites Brooks mail saying “slam Les and Colin”: “Was the plan to blame it all on Les?” asks Edis.
		Brooks says this relates to limited investigation in 2007 and that “anyone involved should leave the company”
		Back tomorrow at 10 am.

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

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