Hacking Trial Live Tweets – 27 Mar

Thursday 27 March 2014

Summary
	Clive Goodman still not fit to Continue his Defence
		Justice Saunders explains how proceedings will continue
	Cheryl Carter’s Cross-Examination Continues
		Anthony Edis QC questions Carter’s knowledge of the Hacking Scandal
		Carter questioned on the removal of 7 Boxes
		Carter questioned on deletion of emails
		Carter’s relationship with Brooks
		Justice Saunders questions Cheryl Carter
	Cheryl Carter is questioned further by her Counsel
		Carter questioned further about Archiving

Clive Goodman still not fit to Continue his Defence
	Justice Saunders explains how proceedings will continue
		Justice Saunders explains that Clive Goodman is still not fit to resume evidence at #hackingtrial : more tests are ongoing
		Cheryl Carter has two witnesses of fact who can only attend tomorrow, and then Justice Saunders thinks other cases will continue.
		“Hopefully overall we are not losing too much time on the schedule” Saunders explains to the jury
Cheryl Carter’s Cross-Examination Continues
	Anthony Edis QC questions Carter’s knowledge of the Hacking Scandal
		Edis is back cross examining Cheryl Carter, former PA to Rebekah Brooks, on Count 6 – conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
		Edis reminds Carter of 20/06/11 email and had asked her whether she was aware of police investigation then: she said she wasn’t at the time
		Edis cites two more emails from Carter’s Blackberry from that time.
		First email 19/05/11 from Will Lewis to Carter talks about a ‘mission critical’ letter to DAC Sue Akers
		The Will Lewis email talks about DCMS committee, Burton Copeland and Brooks letter about police.
		Carter says she would not have read the content – she remembers the letter – but she would have just printed out and got Brooks to sign
		“Deliver to a police station” Edis points out.
		Greenberg follows up email 11/06/11 talks about the phone hacking inquiry by police “I had just been tasked to do that job”
		Edis turns to Brooks’ bundle and turns 08/04/11 email ‘Message to All Staff’ – Carter says she sent – with NI accepting civil phone hacking
		Carter remembers the internal statement in April accepting phone hacking beyond the Goodman conviction.
		External statement in April 2011 says NI is co-operating with police on “re-opening investigation”: Carter “I assume I must have read this”
		Daisy Dunlop email from corporate affairs copied to various people cited by Edis, on media coverage of NOTW
		The internal email from 14/04/11 is a Guardian article about James Weatherup’s arrest “NOTW stunned”
		“This is the first time I’ve read this…” says Carter. “You were the eyes and ears of Rebekah Brooks,” says Edis
		Carter says she “would have said hello” to James Weatherup. She also says she knew Greg Miskiw and Neville Thurlbeck.
		Carter agrees she would say hello to News Editors of NOTW and they would have frequent contact with her boss, Rebekah Brooks.
		“They got arrested in 2011. Would you have found out about that?” asks Edis. “Yes, I would have done.” says Carter
		Independent article by James Hanning from that time cited by Daisy Dunlop, referring to other NOTW complainants from Brooks’ editorship
		“I may have seen the newspapers,” says Carter. “But then I would have just done my job” She says she never spoke to Brooks about it
		“I was doing my job as a secretary…” says Carter. “But you didn’t do only secretarial work… you ran her life” says Edis.
		“To do that job you had to know what was going on in her life… the concerns that confronted her at work” says Edis.
		“Yes, I would have been a good PA in dealing with all of that” says Carter. But denies she ever spoke about hacking “revelations”
		Greenberg writes to Brooks copied to Carter about a meeting with police at Olswang solicitors.
		“You told us yesterday that you didn’t know about police investigation, but that was simply untrue” says Edis.
		Carter explains to Saunders that “that’s when it first hit me on the 4th of July…. how sad it was.”
		“Of course I can see I would have booked in meetings with lawyers and police but had no idea about it all” says Carter. Edis “Simply a lie”
		Edis cites email from Brooks to Carter asking 2002 diaries: “What was the reason?” says Edis. “I didn’t ask” says Carter.
		“I would have just handed over the diaries…. here you go Rebekah” says Carter, denying she would have talked about phone hacking.
		Edis cites email to Carter from Brooks: “I need a makeup artist on hand…. we need Enstone Manor fully staffed. Ask Amanda Jackson”
		Carter says she helped to fixed up Enstone Manor with about three staff to cater and clean for 7 or 8 people helping Brooks 16/07/11
		Edis asks Carter about another email sent to her cited 04/05/11 about Carter and Rebekah Brooks‘ devices
		“Please confirm you recognise all these devices” says email from Nigel Carter NI IT dept. Carter replies “so many devices for Rebekah.
	Carter questioned on the removal of 7 Boxes
		Edis asks for Carter’s ‘assistance’ on 08/07/11 the day she removed 7 boxes from archives: 10 am she spoke to Nick Mays archivist.
		12.10 pm on 08/07/11 Nick Mays writes to Crown and expedites delivery of the 7 archive boxes marked Brooks notebooks
		“Not even asking for permission to take an hour off?” asks Edis. “Did you meet her?” “Yes” says Carter. “probably quite a lot”
		Edis points out Brooks was in the office drafting a statement that morning till noon. Carter took delivery just after lunch.
		Edis says she must have been planning to take delivery and organising her son and Gary Keegan to pick up boxes.
		Carter says “I didn’t know anything about ” the executive meeting at NI that day with Brooks.
		Carter denies Brooks ever told her about NOTW closure until public annoucement. “She didn’t trust you?” asks Edis.
		Carter tells Justice Saunders that her boss Brooks would have been in the office when she was told the archive boxes were coming.
		“You job actually involved doing a lot of jobs which would mean you leaving your desk” says Edis. “She was quite in charge of what you did”
		Carter agrees Brooks had Deborah Keegan as a PA that day: “There was plenty of cover” says Edis.
		“You were only supposed to do things she wanted you to do” says Edis. “I also ran my own office” Edis: “But this was Rebekah Brooks‘ office”
		Carter agrees that “everything she did” was for Brooks. Edis: “That’s what you were doing with these boxes, something for her”
		“You wanted those notebooks because she told them to get them” says Edis. “No, that’s simply not true” says Carter.
		Edis : “Did you think the police would want to know if boxes with her name on came out of the archive? How did you think it would look?”
		“But some of it was her stuff” says Edis. “Which I gave back to her” says Carter.
		Edis asks why Carter didn’t tell the police when they searched that her office contained most of Brooks’ stuff. “No one asked me”
		“You had two executives running it. They could have asked me” says Carters: “Greenberg and Lewis knew where all the stuff was”
		BREAKING: Carter says Will Lewis and Simon Greenberg didn’t tell police during search of News International where Brooks’ documents were
		Edis turns to Carter’s ‘Famous’ Brand. Carter’s Blackberry contains some details about dispute over trademark.
		Carter says dispute over trademark got “quite bad’ weekend of 04/07/11 ended on the 8/07/11
		Carter says she first met with Lawyers in June 2011: “that would have been the time to get any documents relevant” says Edis.
		Carter says it got bad around 04/07/11 “I thought I was going to lose my make up brand” Edis: “That was on the cards in early June”
		“It was a very sad time. I thought I would lose my make up brand. I was devastated’ says Carter.
		Edis goes back to Nick May’s email about “Charlie’s Silver’ – 06/06/11 is the likely date Charlie picked up NI silver.
		Edis cites an email to Eamon Dyas by Carter – no reference to boxes
		Another email from 06/06/11 from Deborah Keegan about Lord MacDonald “former DPP” coming to see Brooks.
		Edis cites James Murdoch’s NOTW closure email retrieved from Carter’s blackberry: “She didn’t mention it to me at all” Carter says of Brooks
		Carter says she would have been saying hello and saying here’s your tea and coffee – but says she never talked to Brooks about NOTW closure
		Carter has ‘no recollection’ why Keegan was sending her details of private security on 04/07/11
		10.22 04/07/11 Carter having tried to contact archives, Keegan is trying to get hold of bank statements for 2002 for Rebekah Brooks.
		“Presumably you’d be talking to Mrs Brooks about that” says Edis of bank statement requests from “Rhidian”
		Carter “I would have just done what he asked.. Rhidian wouldn’t just come and ask me for Rebekah’s bank statements… she would have known”
		08/07/11 “Coffee and hot milk please separately. This is disgusting” writes Brooks. Carter returned 3 minutes later with better coffee
		“This is while all this going on, getting out the boxes, trying to find the bank statements” says Edis. “Without saying a word?”
		Still on 08/07/11 Carter is trying to contact Nick Mays – 10 mins later he expedites delivery from archives.
		16.19 email from Carter on 08/07/11 about booking a helicopter for Brooks to Jubilee Barn for 19.30 “maybe Deborah dealt with that”
		Carter says Brooks probably did take helicopter: “This is an example of you being on call… when you were doing the boxes” says Edis.
		Edis cites 16.40 a “letter that’s got to go to Vaz’s” office from Greenberg cc’ed to Brooks and Carter: “have to be on hand to deal with it”
		Carter can’t remember that particular letter to the chair of Home Office Select Committee but presumes it was couriered
		Following Tuesday Carter books another helicopter for Brooks, more problems getting hold of bank statements.
		Edis cites email from 22/07/11 from Brooks to Carter – telling her about legal representation, compromise agreement, blackberries, diaries
		Email from Brooks tells Carter “make sure you have a copy of all your emails and documents downloaded onto a laptop”
	Carter questioned on deletion of emails
		“Can you help us to what happened to her emails?” asks Edis of Brooks. “She was in charge of her own emails” says Carter.
		Edis goes back to the email deletion policy in 2010 when Brooks said her PA would know which to delete and which to not.
		Edis asks if Carter read that email that meant she should be ‘tasked’ to delete Brooks’ emails. She cannot recollect it at all.
	Carter’s relationship with Brooks
		Edis asks about Carter’s relationship with Brooks. “A very close and trusting relationship” Carter agrees. “Two people working closely”
		“She was a big fan of yours” says Edis. “Yes” says Carter “I was very good at my job”
		Edis cites a resume of a book “written by Rebekah Wade as she then was” Carter says a chapter.
		Brooks says “whether I’m having dinner with MI5 or the Beckhams” everyone loves Carter and would “break legs” of anyone try to poach her
		Edis asks about MI5 and Brooks’ evidence that Carter was “scatty and forgetful” and the “every couple of months something silly would happen
		Edis asks about the MFI/MI5 anecdote “It really happened” says Carter. “You knew perfectly well what MI5 was” says Edis.
		Carter talks about MI5/MFI incident. Saunders asks whether Carter meant to make a mistake
		“I’ve had to live with story for years” says Carter. “It’s an old joke” says Edis.
		“You wouldn’t have done anything at all without her instruction, on that day of all days without her say so” says Edis.
		“You are not so naive not to realise… there was a risk it would be misinterpreted” says Edis. “No,” says Carter.
		“Nobody did anything in her office in that day of all days without her instruction” says Edis: “I’m sorry Mr Edis it is completely wrong”
	Justice Saunders questions Cheryl Carter
		Saunders has some questions about further archiving in October 2009 after initial archiving in Sept 2009
		Carter says it was a “joint decision” with Keegan. The temp was being run by Keegan. “She was working in same small office with us”
		Saunders asks how Keegan and Carter would share work. “If she was in her office sitting there, I wouldn’t have left my desk”
		Break for ten minutes.
Cheryl Carter is questioned further by her Counsel
	Carter questioned further about Archiving
		Back with a re-examination of Cheryl Carter by her counsel, Trevor Burke QC
		Burke goes back over the various attempts of Carter to contact archives in July 2011.
		Justice Saunders asks if Carter accepts “on this particular day you initiated asking for them back” “Yes I do” says Carter
		This is a ‘mission critical’ letter Will Lewis asked Carter to get Brooks to sign and then send off to DAC Sue Akers on headed notepaper
		Burke for Carter turns to a new page in bundle inserted by Andrew Edis QC, for the prosecution.
		Burke reads out the letter from Brooks to Weeting Officers.
		Carter tells Burke says she never attended any meetings about phone hacking, and didn’t think it ever applied to her boss, Rebekah Brooks
		Carter cannot remember where she was when Weatherup was arrested. Saunders reminds her that Brooks was on holiday
		Burke says June 2011 documents “clearly show Rebekah Brooks… was involved with meetings with police and lawyers”
		Carter says the first time she knew police were interested in Brooks was when she was arrested.
		Burke turns to another document about NOTW and phone hacking which Carter “was invited to comment on”
		Carter says 06/07/11 meeting between Brooks and lawyers she didn’t attend and no idea “she was in trouble”
		Burke asks about brand dispute in June/July in 2011 “those three against you… three ex partners battling against you”
		Burke asks “who actually used the helicopter..” Carter: “James Murdoch” It landed somewhere in the City.
		“She would occasionally piggy backed it” says Burke of Murdoch’s helicopter used by Rebekah Brooks.
		Burke turns back to Carter’s police interviews – first as a witness, the next two under caution
		Carter says the five police officers were in home “maybe five hours” in November 2011.
		Burke asks about “creation of police” statement then. Carter says “I think they made notes”.
		Carter statement “No one ever told me I couldn’t get the boxes…. I don’t remember the dates but NOTW hadn’t closed… Rebekah hadn’t left”
		Carter says the police officers didn’t offer any assistance over the dates the boxes were removed from archives in initial search.
		Burke asks about ‘preliminary disclosure’ by police when arrested in Jan 2012: included the archive transfer list.
		Carter says that she saw document for the first time was in the police station. “You informed me it was 8th July” Carter says in interview
		Burke asks about the post-It notes she says she left on archive boxes. Merely ‘Rebekah Brooks notebooks 1995-2007′
		Burke turns to MI5/MFI anecdote. “Mr Edis suggesting this is a blatant fabrication” “It’s a million percent true” says Carter #hackingtrial
		Burke talks about Carter booking the wrong Miliband brother for a trip to News International.
		Saunders explains to the jury that they will now break till 10 am tomorrow morning.

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

Related Articles
Some of the Mysteries of Phone Hacking – Unlocked
Mulcaire Sanctioned by Spooks – Malign Influence of NI Lawyer on Goodmans Legal Team
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

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Hacking Trial Live Tweets – 20 Mar
Hacking Trial Live Tweets – 25 Mar
Hacking Trial Live Tweets – 26 Mar

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