Andy Coulson 'ambitious but not ruthless', close friend tells phone hacking trial

 
Trial: Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson
WEST END FINAL

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Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson was “ambitious but not ruthless”, the Old Bailey heard today.

A long standing friend said Coulson was pragmatic and “wanted good stories but not at any cost.”

Dean Keyworth said his friend of 26 years who went onto be director of communications for Prime Minister David Cameron was self-depreciating, honest and straight forward.

“He was very ambitious but I don’t think he was ruthless. He had a pragmatic approach to things and wanted to get stories but not at any cost,” he said.

Mr Keyworth had been called to give evidence about how Rebekah Brooks had kept in touch with her office in Wapping even when on holiday in Dubai in April 2002..

On the weekend that a voicemail message left on murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler’s phone was printed in the NoW she was making and receiving calls on her mobile phone, the court heard.

At that time Brooks was editor of the NoW and Coulson was deputy editor.

Mr Keyworth said he had evening drinks with Brooks and her then boyfriend, the tough guy TV actor Ross Kemp, followed the following day by lunch by the pool.

“She was on the phone quite a lot to her office so there wasn’t much conversation with us,” he said.

“I think she was both making and receiving calls. She was mainly listening as if somebody was reading something to her for comment but I I don’t really remember.

“I said to her: ‘Don’t you get bored having to take work calls?’ She said she would rather do that every day to keep on top of things.”

Yesterday William Hennessey, who was also at the poolside lunch said Brooks had said she was talking about “the missing Surrey schoolgirl”.

But Mr Keyworth said today that he did not know what the subject of the calls was.

Mr Keyworth had helped Rebekah Brooks and Mr Kemp, upgrade from their hotel to a suite at a luxury hotel in Dubai.

He had known her through birthday parties thrown by Coulson at his house.

They had met by chance in Dubai where his friend Bill Walsh was marketing director of a luxury hotel chain and offered the couple a suite at a reduced rate in one of his hotel – the seven star Burj al Arab - as “a publicity coup.”

Mr Keyworth said Mr Kemp, who had just left EastEnders and was an extremely well-known figure, was “very pleased” with the free toiletries provided in the hotel suite.

Former NoW editors Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson are both accused of conspiracy to intercept voicemail communications with former NoW head of news Ian Edmondson and Kuttner between October 2000 and August 2006.

Brooks is also charged with two counts of conspiring with others to commit misconduct in public office, the first between January 2004 and January 2012 and the second between February 2006 and October 2008, linked to alleged payments by the Sun to public officials.

She faces another two allegations of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice - one with her former personal assistant Cheryl Carter and the second with her husband Charlie and former head of security at NI Mark Hanna.

Coulson is also facing two allegations that he conspired with the NoW’s former royal editor Clive Goodman and others to commit misconduct in public office - one between August 2002 and January 2003; and the other between January and June 2005.

All the defendants have pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

The case continues.

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