Hacking Trial Live Tweets – 12 Mar

Wednesday 12 March 2014

Summary
	Rebekah Brooks Cross Examination continues on Count 6 and 7
		Day 13 of Brooks on the Witness Stand
		Books asked about News of the World Internal Investigation
		Rebekah Brooks Notebooks and Archiving
		7 Archived Boxes
	Rebekah Brooks Cross Examined on Count 7
		Brooks Arrest
		Tony Blair text messages
		Electronic Equipment
		CCTV Footage
		Andrew Edis QC closes his Cross Examination for the Crown
	Rebekah Brooks final questions by her Counsel
		Jonathan Laidlaw QC final questions to Brooks

Rebekah Brooks Cross Examination continues on Count 6 and 7
	Day 13 of Brooks on the Witness Stand
		Brooks 13th Day in the Witness Box at the #hackingtrial – slightly delayed this morning because of legal argument
		Jury back at the #hackingtrial after a brief bit of legal argument.
		Mr Clegg for Mark Hanna explains his client’s absence: he had an accident over the weekend and has a hairline fracture.
		Andrew Edis QC for the Crown now continues with his cross examination: now concentrating on Counts 6 and 7
		Bit of rooting around for a missing bundle of evidence.
	Books asked about News of the World Internal Investigation
		Edis is still on the Plan B email: Edis “an internal investigation which would produce a report about…. rogue reporter defence”
		Brooks: “report was going to be about 2 or 3 things: the line in the sand drawn in 2007 by NI, the police and PCC – why that line existed”
		“There was also a real position: if the company view was that if anyone had to leave the company because of H&L file” says Brooks.
		“I felt that Will Lewis who was dealing with the Met should be promoted and circumvent me,” says Brooks of Plan B email.
		“I can’t remember when we discovered the police were leaking everything,” says Brooks. Edis: You mean Mr Cripps leaking some things to Gdn”
		“There was a culture of paranoia…. we would leak this. But this would be a good leak” says Brooks of Plan B in July 2011
		Brooks: “Police had been in the building on the Friday before it was leaked to the Guardian on Monday” Edis: “This is based on speculation
		Edis points out Dowler’s solicitor Mark Lewis who was quoted in the Guardian: “Why would you make the assumption it was the police?”
		“The idea was that there would be a report that would exonerate you and you’d keep your job?” asks Edis of Plan B. Brooks denies this.
		The email talks about launching the Sun on Sunday: “It was about the future of the company” says Brooks. “Including you.” says Edis.
		Brooks says “I was trying to find as many jobs in NI as possible” for NOTW staff.
		Edis cites another email about Blair’s advice to Brooks: “This is also about you keeping your job”
		“You speak to Mr Murdoch on Sunday evening (10/07/11) and then speak to Les Hinton” says Edis.
		Brooks “When I spoke to Mr Murdoch… he knew I’d asked to resign the week before when he was in Sun Valley… his view was I shouldn’t resign”
		“We discussed the Harbottle and Lewis file and what to do with it” says Brooks of Murdoch.
		“There’s no evidence that you were to be arrested in April… Who told you?” asks Edis. “Mr Lewis told me there was possibility of arrest”
		Brooks agrees her future was in the ‘balance’: Edis cites an email with James Murdoch (not Blair) from the Monday: Brooks at home 11/07/11
		Brooks sends off an email about circulation: James replied “what are you doing on email?” Brooks was told to stop working.
		Email also talks about seeing “Charlie for confiscation”: Brooks says it was to confiscate her blackberry. She had it back next morning.
		“What you’re telling James is that Blair is seeing a way through this so you can keep your job” says Edis.
		Blair conversation transcribed in email talks of a “Hutton style” report on hacking. Brooks said they’d hired Lord MacDonald on H&L files
		“Was the decision to give the police the Harbottle and Lewis files a controversial one within the company?” asks Edis.
		“We flew to America to see the representation of News Corp and then handed them over to police” says Brooks of Harbottle and Lewis files.
		Edis cites more emails about NI internal plans for Sun on Sunday: conference with James by telephone on the Tuesday.
		Brooks said in email that Joel, Will and Chase thought it was “imperative” that she faced the DCMS committee.
		“Half the people involved thought I should take” [leave of absence] but Lewis and Greenberg thought “I should still be in situ” says Brooks
		“People were changing their minds on it all the time” says Brooks of her status in that week.
		“We were all going to have a full debrief for the select committee,” says Brooks of preparation session at Enstone Manor
		BREAKING: Lord Mandelson was approached to coach Rebekah Brooks for DCMS committee in wake of hacking scandal.
		Another email for lunch Thursday 14/07/11 still talks of leave of absence. But afternoon Brooks preparing resignation statement.
	Rebekah Brooks Notebooks and Archiving
		Brooks leaves NI on Friday 15/07/11 Edis: “Obviously there was a lot of paperwork you left behind you…”
		Brooks says the paperwork return in two lots: by Jane Viner and Cheryl Carter.
		Brooks asked if she knew Cheryl Carter stored her personal papers in her mother in law’s garage: “I didn’t know where they were stored?”
		Edis: “Did you know the police would be entitled to search the premises where you lived?” Brooks: “I knew that back in April”
		Edis: “When did Mrs Carter begin her beauty column?” Brooks says she did her beauty training sometime after 2000, when Brooks edited NOTW
		“Did the NOTW have a stock of A4 notebooks it supplied to journalists?” asks Edis. Brooks: “I’m sure they did,” says Brooks.
		“Harry Scott… described how journalists notebooks would be archived…. Notebooks might be a good thing for the company to keep” says Edis
		“I never used the archive,” says Brooks.
		Brooks shown a photo of a notebook and agrees she seem some like this. “This is Cheryl’s cuttings for her beauty column,” says Brooks
		Edis produces two filofaxes and a desk diary and a call diary
		“These are things that belong to you?” asks Edis. “Yes, they did” says Brooks.
		Edis points out these were archived. “Did you know that?” he asks. Brooks: “I didn’t think anything of mine was archived”
		Edis shows the archive filing list for 02/09/09 “all notebooks from Rebekah Brooks nee Wade”
		“The prosecution case is that this is an honest document” says Edis. Brooks: “I didn’t use notebooks like that. It wasn’t my system”
		Brooks talks of interviewing President Bush and she didn’t take a notebook, but the White House produced full transcript
		“I hadn’t been a journalist since 1995” says Brooks. “Cheryl Carter wasn’t doing a beauty column then” says Edis. Brooks: “No she wasn’t”
		“If we work on the assumption these documents were full of staff for Cheryl Carter, what’s the significance of 1995?” asks Edis.
		Brooks says Carter started working for her in 1996 or 1995
		Brooks did not know that her office archiving was packed up by a temporary worker in October 2009
		“Cheryl and Debs had been working with me a long time” says Brooks. “I trusted them”
		Edis: “Was it anything to do with you… we’re talking about the contents of the Sun Office? Brooks: Her PAs “would know what I needed”
		“Didn’t they ask you?” queries Edis. Brooks: “I finished editing the Sun – took everyone out for fish and chips – CEO next morning”
		“That’s your job as the boss,” says Edis of Brooks telling her PAs what to move. “Did you take your Man United picture with you?”
		“There’s one which was… a leaving present from my team at the Sun… I kept in the first office,” says Brooks.
		“In reality you could have stored what you wanted in that place because you were in charge of it” says Edis of NI
		“You anticipated the police would want to talk to you in the near future” says Edis of move of boxes on 08/07/11: “Not particularly that day
		“I just don’t particularly remember thinking of it that day. I’d been thinking of it for a while” says Brooks.
		“This is the morning you sent the Plan B email… which refers to ‘criminal investigation'” says Edis quoting internal statement.
		“The criminal investigations were very much on your mind on the 8th of July” says Edis. “They were always on my mind” says Brooks.
		Edis cites a 05/07/11 email from Mark Hanna talking of a “police concern” beyond the media attention post Milly Dowler.
		Edis asks about the “exit and entry teams” security plan for Brooks. She was concerned about a dawn raid.
		Saunders asks what the security teams are going to do if “there’s a dawn raid”. Brooks was worried about leaks and media attention
		“I didn’t want a picture of me being arrested… every arrest had been public” says Brooks.
		Brooks agrees that on the 8th July that “the police would want to talk to me… don’t remember particularly on that day”
	7 Archived Boxes
		Edis: “They would want their records if they wanted to conduct a robust criminal investigation… and electronic devices?” Brooks: “Yes”
		“You be pretty horrified to discover Cheryl Carter was taking out boxes named notebooks of Rebekah Brooks?” says Edis.
		“If you had known what she was doing with those boxes, labelled as they were, you’d be horrified.” Brooks: “I could see the issue”
		Edis establishes “Cheryl Carter was working for… doing what you told her to do” Brooks says “yes… it was a terrible day”
		“The atmosphere in NOTW was acrimonious to you?” says Edis. “To me and the company” says Brooks.
		Edis says of NOTW staff: “They were very angry because they had done nothing wrong”. Brooks agrees
		Edis refers to Carter’s November 2011 witness statement: Brooks says Carter was “very relaxed about it”
		Edis: “Did she tell you what she’d said?” Brooks: “In broad terms” “Did she tell you that she’d told the police you were at a boot camp?”
		Brooks: “I think at the time… she was a bit vague on that… she’d sorted out some boxes of mine when she was at a boot camp”
		“I know Cheryl stayed on after I left…. didn’t strike me as odd at the time” says Brooks. This was the first time she ever heard of boxes
		BREAKING: Brooks says she never knew of 7 archive boxes in her name even after Carter interviewed about them in November 2011
		“She never warned you police were interested in those boxes because they your name on” asks Edis. “She didn’t seem concerned” said Brooks
		Edis points out Carter’s son was interviewed first: “So it didn’t come like a bolt from the blue…. and she didn’t tell you”
		“I think the reason she didn’t tell me was because she was still in Australia,’ says Brooks. “There are still phones in Australia” says Edis
		Edis says Carter’s story that she couldn’t use the archive in her own name is just “rubbish – she was PA to chief executive officer”
		Brooks says she can’t remember when Carter told her the 7 archive boxes were in her name. There was a bail condition not to talk in January
		“That was a very serious bit of information you’d remember receiving” says Edis. “The contents of 7 boxes in your name had gone missing”
		“In the circumstances of the time this is very bad news for you,” Edis says: “You’d remember being told”
		Brooks says she was concerned for her PA “but not for any sinister reasons… I didn’t think it was as serious as it turned out to be”
		Brooks says she quite possibly spoke to Cheryl Carter on 10/07/11 but she didn’t meet her. Brooks knew she was visiting her mum in Oxon.
		Brooks says she thinks she asked Carter to drive from Essex to Oxfordshire.
		Brooks can’t remember if it was her instruction for Cheryl to go to the Barn and look after her mum.
		Edis asks how long Cheryl stayed. “I don’t remember that” says Brooks. “Did she bring anything at all?” asks Edis.
		“I think Mum said she brought a little present” says Brooks. “Did she ever bring you anything from work?” “Yes, in August, my filing”
		“I think I got most of it back in a few months” says Brooks of filing. “Kingsley Napley sent lawyers over to my office…. February 2011”
		15 minute break
Rebekah Brooks Cross Examined on Count 7
	Brooks Arrest
		Back after the break. Andrew Edis QC coming to the end of the his cross examination of Rebekah Brooks
		Edis returns to plans for Enstone Manor on 16/17th July 2011. A new bundle is introduced.
		Edis cites a letter from lawyers Burton Copeland to police: 15/07/11
		Letter refers to conversation over interview of Brooks that weekend: 12 noon on the Sunday. Police position open about making an arrest.
		Ian Burnton sets out various reasons why Brooks should not be arrested: she intended at that time to answer police questions.
		Brooks says “police interviewed my lawyer so I couldn’t use him” of Ian Burnton. Kingsley Napley come into the case on the Saturday.
		Kingsley Napley letter is written to police “on the intention of arresting her”
		Brooks says Detective Inspector Steve McCabe arrested her outside the car: she’s not 100 percent sure her driver knew of arrest.
		Edis cites another document: email by Angus McBride of Kingsley Napley on 18/07/11 about Charlie Brooks.
		Brooks says she had no way of looking at emails that day. Letter says “an explanation” about items not consistent with hiding evidence
		“Charlie was very keen to explain to the police what had happened to his stuff” says Brooks. New pages added to the bundle by Edis.
	Tony Blair text messages
		Edis explains that this new evidence is text messages from and to Tony Blair
		“This is the arrangements for the discussion with Blair” says Edis. “Call Hotel Landline” says Blair
		BREAKING: 16/07/11 Blair offers to help Brooks on DCMS appearance “Definitely” replies Brooks in texts.
		BREAKING: Blair texts Brooks “I may be some help in the commons” just before she is arrested.
		Brooks says lawyer Parkinson stayed several hours at Enstone Manor farm that weekend.
		15/07/11 at 1pm: “Rupert, James and I are at Oxfordshire” texts Brooks to “Tim”
		Brooks texts Witherow at Sunday Times re an interview “there are lawyers all over me…. serious situation for me”
		Brooks texts James about her arrest: “Hear KRM brilliant with the Dowler family”
		“You had quite a long time with your lawyers to get ready for your arrest” says Edis. “Didn’t feel like a lot of time” says Brooks.
		“You had plenty of access to legal advice over your situation for a long period of time.” says Edis. “Yes,’ replies Brooks.
		Edis says Brooks was “well placed” to deal with questions that Sunday. “Didn’t feel well placed,” says Brooks; “Lost a lawyer”
		Brooks says she went to Kingsley Napley before arrest at Lewisham.
		Edis talks about Jubilee Barn wi-fi router. “We had broadband” says Brooks.
		“Charlie had a mobile office, because I had to be in London a lot. He was writing his novel… but for his horses had to get back to farm”
	Electronic Equipment
		“You’re busy people you work at the weekends, like busy people do” says Edis. Brooks says she had a laptop, blackberry, Ipad, memory sticks
		“Would it be strange to find no computers of any kind?” asks Edis of Jubilee Barn. “No,” says Brooks: “I kept computers with me”
		Brooks denies that anyone went to Jubilee Barn to collect devices or documents.
		Brooks says she knew there was security at Jubilee Barn that weekend.
		Edis suggest the security staff were willing to help her: “pick something up from the Barn”
		Brooks said she didn’t know Mark Hanna well, even though he swept her offices for bugs earlier that year when H&L emails recovered.
		Brooks concedes that Hanna was in charge of her security that weekend. She can’t remember him acting as a driver during events.
		Edis points out three meetings with the lawyers over this three day period. “And you’re unaware of anything… untoward happening?”
		Brooks says she knew nothing of Charlie’s Bags etc. until the Monday afternoon. Now she has a vague memory of Charlie concerned about bags.
		Brooks says she has a “vague memory of Charlie being on the phone on the car”
		Brooks says she was supposed to be rehearsing for DCMS on Monday and then felt very ill – “quite traumatic time.. going to bed, passing out”
	CCTV Footage
		Edis calls up an 81 second clip of CCTV from Thames Quay car park.
		CCTV shows Charlie and driver looking for bag. Brooks gets out of car and waits.
		Charlie and driver come back from bins empty handed. Brooks stands there and then follows Charlie into the flat.
		“What we’ve just seen is you arriving back from solicitors…. they go over to where there some bins… and there was nothing behind them”
		“What did they say?” asks Edis. Brooks: “I’ve obviously thought about this a lot over the last 3 years… I just remember feeling very ill.”
		“If they had discovered some computers that had been hidden had been lost, surely you would have heard them discussing that” says Edis.
		“The police were searching the flat. It was the sort of crisis Mr Brooks would have told you about as soon as you found out” says Edis.
		“I think it was the opposite,” says Brooks: “I think he was trying not to tell me… until he had to”
		“Someone had been to the Barn and taken it to Wapping… that is what happened” says Edis. “That’s not what Charlie told me on the day”
		“I’m just trying to remember what Charlie said… he’d hidden some personal stuff. It had nothing to do with me” says Brooks.
		“He’d given security his mobile office to look after” says Brooks. “And you thought that was pretty stupid?” asks Edis
		“He was obsessed about his novels… You don’t want to lose it. I understand the motive” says Brooks.
		“It must have been painfully obvious to you he wanted to keep it away from the police” says Saunders. Brooks agrees
		“I thought it was impulsive…. a really stupid thing to do” says Brooks. “Why impulsive” asks Edis. “Sounds carefully planned”
		“I think it’s evident that he didn’t want the police to get his stuff” says Brooks. Edis “And you didn’t want the police to get your stuff”
		“That’s not true,” says Brooks: “the police have all my stuff” “Really?” replies Edis and goes to a new document.
		Edis cites a list of 10 devices. 1 belonged to Sir Charles Dunstone.
		Edis cites an iPad: “Where’s that?” Brooks says “I assume it’s at News International… everything I had I handed over to police”
		Brooks talks about an iPad she gave to new PA in Marylebone in September 2011.
		Brooks says this iPad has only emerged in the last few weeks: husband of her PA prompted Charlie. “Why’s that? It’s your iPad?”
		Edis points out that evidence on missing devices had been served on June 2013: “I’d forgotten I’d given it to her”
		Edis turns to an iPhone on router and empty box at NI: “Where is it?” “I didn’t use an iPhone….I think it must be at News International”
		Edis points out the iPhone was a live device. Brooks thinks she was developing a Times ap at the time.
		Brooks “thinks” she gave the iPhone back to News International.
		Edis points out “there are three iPhones on this list – did you give them all back?” Brooks explains they were “madly developing” aps
		Edis asks about three missing Blackberry’s on devices list.
		“Again, they must be with news” says Brooks of three missing blackberries.
		Brooks talks about changing blackberries regularly how she liked new models, sometimes went back to the old one.
		Edis explains how the Blackberry police have got only goes back to beginning of June.
		Laidlaw intervenes. Edis asks to talk “to his Lordship in the jury’s absence because he doesn’t want to have this unseemly row”
		Jury back in after brief legal argument.
		Saunders asks Brooks: “At a later date Blackberry handed back to defence… who did some downloads… first day end of May 2011”
	Andrew Edis QC closes his Cross Examination for the Crown
		“All these devices… they had some information on them. And if I go through the list you’re going to say NI had them?” asks Edis. “Yes”
		NI’s auditing system of devices was pretty bad “up to Feb 2011” says Edis. Brooks disagrees “it hadn’t been done” when she left.
		“Have you asked your former employers whether they have those devices?” asks Edis. “Only through my legal time”
		“You are still on good terms with senior people at NI” asks Edis. “I certainly haven’t spoken to any of my successors or new exec team”
		“You were in a position to control the activities of all those people… they were all working for you. One was married to you” says Edis.
		“Over that weekend you were still in charge of what happened to your property” says Edis. “I gave everything to the police” says Brooks.
		“Your evidence is that you had a meteoric rise… editor of two major national newspapers… pretty stunning achievement” says Edis
		“Hugely demanding jobs in a very competitive industry” says Edis. Brooks says it was competitive within and between newspapers.
		Brooks says it was a “tough world”: Edis “And you won didn’t you? And you got very good stories. You didn’t care how you got them”
		Brooks says that’s unfair.
		Brooks is asked whether the existence of Mulcaire was “hidden from her” and the “books were cooked to achieve that”
		“Was there anything in it for them in hiding it from you?” asks Edis. Brooks: “I can see no reason…. why PI would be concealed”
		“I could see why they would conceal phone hacking from me” says Brooks.
		“Is there anything in it for Mr Kuttner to conceal payments? Was there anything in it for him at all?” asks Edis. “I don’t see that”
		“They would have never done it without your approval would they?” says Edis of Kuttner, Miskiw and Thurlbeck and phone hacking.
		Brooks is asked about Sun journalist asking her to pay Jordan Barber, and MOD official.
		“In reality x should have told you” establishes Saunders: “Yes he should” says Brooks.
		Edis asks about the missing boxes, and Charlie’s bags: “You knew nothing of them. And they had nothing to do with you?” “Yes”
		“You were running your world… you were the boss” “I was chief executive” “And before that the editor” says Edis.
		“Your evidence has been a carefully presented and prepared script and bears little relation to the truth these offences” RB “No, it isn’t”
		Texts between Blair and Brooks on eve of her arrest http://twitter.com/GaetanPortal/status/443741429513605120/photo/1HT … @GaetanPortal @NicoHines
		Jonathan Laidlaw QC now starts with a re-examination of his client Rebekah Brooks.
Rebekah Brooks final questions by her Counsel
	Jonathan Laidlaw QC final questions to Brooks
		Laidlaw says his cross examination will not be much more than an hour. He asks about Brooks “character”: she has no previous convictions
		Brooks was arrested after the incident with Ross Kemp and kept overnight in police cells, but not even questioned.
		Laidlaw turns to the example of Saddam Anthrax story when she paid a public official
		Brooks confirms that source on Anthrax story was arrested for breaking the Official Secrets Act.
		Laidlaw re-examines on the Sophie Wessex story
		Laidlaw turns to Mulcaire notes on Sophie Rees Jones, future Countess of Wessex.
		Laidlaw says the tasking for Mulcaire on Sophie Wessex came between two successive NOTW stories about her business dealings.
		Laidlaw turns to the Milly Dowler story and Brooks’ defence statement.
		Laidlaw asks whether following passage reflects Brooks’ interest in the Milly Dowler story. He reads whole paragraph.
		“The defendant had not taken a special interest in the story of Amanda Dowler” says written statement. Laidlaw asks “has changed at all?”
		“Obviously it changed in July 2011 when I heard Milly Dowler‘s phone had been accessed,” says Brooks. Laidlaw “That’s not what I meant”
		Laidlaw apologises to Brooks for being unclear: “You’ve been in the witness box a long time”
		“At the time I was interested in the disappearance of Milly Dowler, but not in the same way as Sarah’s Law” says Brooks.
		Laidlaw says that at the time Brooks didn’t think Dowler disappearance “a predatory paedophile… as turned out to be tragically true”
		Brooks says she wouldn’t have shared police ‘off the record’ briefings with readers until a public statement. She talks of Shannon Matthews
		Saunders intervenes over police tip-offs: “Does it affect the way you report it?” Brooks: “People got quite angry over Shannon Matthews”
		Laidlaw asks about unsent 2004 love letter from Brooks to Coulson and context of Milly Dowler in April 2002.
		Edis had said “if a deputy editor had been committing a crime he might not tell his editor…. but he might tell her if he trusted her”
		Laidlaw addresses “issue of deputy editor committing crime while editor is away on holiday… what is your response to that?”
		Brooks says “no” to a question of coming back to work and finding a deputy up to no good.
		“If someone’s hiding something from you it’s hard…” says Brooks. Laidlaw rephrases the question.
		“Were there ever occasions when things had occurred or not occurred” when you were away as editor, asks Laidlaw. Brooks “Can’t think of any”
		“As a deputy editor you’re always trying to get a great paper out, I might not have agreed with some of the splashes” says Brooks.
		Laidlaw says the prosecution is alleging that Coulson knew of Milly Dowler phone. “Did anyone… share that info when you were away?” “No”
		Brooks says it’s “hypothetical” but she couldn’t see a scenario that doesn’t lead to “calling the police straight away”.
		Laidlaw “would your relationship with Andy Coulson made any difference? Brooks “I think I would have been angrier still”
		Laidlaw turns to the Goodman/Mulcaire sentencing hearing at Old Bailey in January 2007.
		Edis had previously shown court transcript from Jan 2007: everything is recorded and made available to transcribers.
		Brooks says she never had a copy of court transcript – “I don’t remember it”. She accepts the Sun had a reporter at the hearing.
		Brooks tells Laidlaw she can’t remember who covered it for the Sun. “I probably would have seen their copy” says Brooks.
		Laidlaw says the 2007 judge did not say Mulcaire’s contract was for “private detective work” but did say retainer in place for 5 years.
		Laidlaw quotes Judge in Mulcaire/Goodman sentencing: “There is no dispute in case of Mulcaire that I should make any confiscation order”
		“My memory was that activities between Goodman and Mulcaire… was for private detective work,” says Brooks.
		Now onto email deletion in Laidlaw’s re-exam of Brooks.
		Laidlaw addresses prosecution claim that email deletion was “manipulated” by Brooks and only legal intervention stopped her “skullduggery”
		Laidlaw cites NI email saying no emails should be destroyed “no matter how compromising they may be” Brooks signed off on this policy.
		John Chapman, head of legal affairs, writes to Cheeseborough with details of exceptions to email deletion.
		October 2010 email excepts certain NOTW journos and others from email deletion because of ongoing litigation and competition law.
		Brooks confirms Will Lewis was appointed by her and reported to her: in 2011 he and Chapman showed 3 emails that closed NOTW
		Brooks was “ultimately responsible” for internal NI inquiries which exposed – through legal disclosure – these emails
		Laidlaw asks about Brooks email “Yes to Jan 10. Clean sweep” He says prosecution were implying all emails including exception deleted.
		Justice Saunders establishes the ‘carve out’ email groups actually post date the clean sweep email. Brooks says it had been discussed before
		Laidlaw re-examines on the Max Clifford issue
		Laidlaw says the Edis claimed “one million pounds paid to Max Clifford…. was something of a gift”
		Brooks accepts that “one of the motives” for Max Clifford payout was to stop Mulcaire “naming names” but partly “commercial”
		“I am hoping Max’s objective… is to recreate his commercial relationship with us or humiliate us in court” says NI internal email
		Brooks says Clifford’s objective was to “re-establish a commercial relationship”
		Laidlaw turns to legal note which records Colin Myler asking what Farrer’s external lawyer recommended “another bash for Max”
		Legal note talks about Clifford “he may have four or five good stories… so £200k would be cheap” Laidlaw asks: “Does that establish value”
		“Four or five stories could cost more than that,” says Brooks of Clifford payment. She says she knew “much more” than external lawyer.
		Saunders asks Brooks if she aware about lawyer’s nervousness about any documentary evidence of the deal with Clifford. She thinks she was.
		Brooks is asked about the integrity of John Chapman, legal director: Brooks said he heard “he was very very good”
		Neither Chapman nor external lawyer ever said unwritten deal with Clifford was “improper”
		Saunders wants to give Brooks the opportunity to address the ‘cover up’ allegation about post Mulcaire. She agrees ‘damage limitation’
		Saunders: “Did you know… that were only five other victims Mulcaire was being dealt with?” “yes,” says Brooks.
		Brooks agrees she knew the court case hadn’t dealt with full number of victims at NOTW in 2007.
		Brooks agrees she was involved in damage limitation while she was at the Sun in offering Goodman a job.
		“There you are, a campaigning journalist at the Sun… you don’t like coverups, damage limitations do you?” asks Saunders.
		“The fact you were prepared to get involved at editor of the Sun” says Saunders of Goodman: “the suggestion is you yourself were involved”
		“I felt very comfortable for years… I had no need to worry about my own position” says Brooks. “When I was told about Goodman by my boss
		“So why get involved at that stage? Why involve yourself as an editor of another Newspaper?” asks Saunders. “I was very loyal to the company
		“It didn”t matter where you came from, how you spoke… I was very loyal to Mr Hinton… Northern Boy made good” says Brooks.
		“So what you did was out of loyalty to the company” says Saunders. Brooks says she was “diplomatic” – Hinton valued that.
		Saunders “wasn’t it something worth digging into… the Guardian certainly thought that?” Brooks: “The police had told me that”
		Brooks said that the police in 2006 never gave her any indication that phone hacking at NOTW went beyond Clive Goodman.
		Laidlaw turns to the 10 missing devices and a “recently discovered iPad” – Laidlaw calls it “Julie’s iPad”
		Edis intervenes: “can we make sure this evidence is admissible” Laidlaw reminds Brooks he doesn’t want any hearsay evidence on this.
		Brooks remembers giving Julie Duffy, her new PA, an iPad – who joined her in early October 2011 – “pretty early on”
		Brooks explains “what Julie said to me she’d been watching the news” Edis intervenes. Brooks says Julie jogged her memory.
		Brooks says when the existence of the iPad came to her attention she told Angus McBride. It’s now with the police.
		Last topic is texts, says Laidlaw, turning to the new evidence shown to the jury today.
		Laidlaw turns to the Blair/Brooks texts and “others” on the Friday and Saturday before her arrest. Brooks can’t find the bundle.
		Brooks explains she saw texts when they were sent her, but have only seen these during the course of her evidence – a file before weekend
		Laidlaw will explain in due course where these texts were from.
		Laidlaw wants to introduce two new texts into the defence bundle – “right at the very end”
		Texts from 10/07/11 the last Sunday before Brooks was arrested. They were found in the inbox of her phone.
		Laidlaw says the timing of the texts could be an hour out because of GMT.
		In previous evidence Brooks said she met James Murdoch that lunchtime and Rupert Murdoch later than Sunday.
		Laidlaw talks about Cheryl Carter’s trip to Jubilee Barn to “see her mum” Brooks says she knew nothing of Cheryl’s activities
		The texts Laidlaw adduces are from Cheryl and her mother. Brooks explains the role of Joel Klein on the MSC
		“Joel Klein called…. Having lunch with Deborah and Hazel” says Carter texts. The latter two are Brooks’ mother and her friend.
		Second text from Brooks’ mother talks about Cheryl’s visit and how she is now feeding pigs.
		Laidlaw has one final point.
		Laidlaw refers to the June 2011 email asking to talk to Ross Kemp about phone hacking.
		Brooks had seen Kemp’s name in notes shown to her by police; “There were some other names” says Brooks.
		Brooks says she “might have told her mum” about her appearing in notes. She can’t remember if she spoke to Jane Moore, and friends of Ross’
		A A Gill was mentioned in this Mulcaire note. “He and Ross were good friends”: Nicola Formby was also mentioned.
		Saunders thanks Brooks and jury: 10 am tomorrow morning.

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

Related Articles
Texts to Rebekah Brooks from Tony Blair on the Eve of her Arrest
Brooks – Coulson email exchange on Goodman Mulcaire guilty pleas: It is all going so well
Peter Jukes on ABC Radio
Rebekah Brooks Takes The Stand At Phone Hacking Trial – The Daily Beast
The Brooks Plan B and Blair Unofficial Advisor emails

Previous Posts
Hacking Trial Live Tweets – 6 Mar
Hacking Trial Live Tweets – 10 Mar
Hacking Trial Live Tweets – 11 Mar

Links: The Trial So Far | Full Trial Summary | Indexed Evidence | Breaking News