Hacking trial: former royal editor 'warned editors about payments', Old Bailey hears

 
Prison fear: Clive Goodman, former royal editor and reporter for the 'News of the World' emailed senior staff with the warning
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21 November 2013
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The former royal editor of the now-defunct News of the World warned his managing editor he was aware that if payments to his confidential sources were traced they would all be jailed, the phone-hacking trial has heard.

In an email to former managing editor Stuart Kuttner, Clive Goodman discussed the contacts he only paid in cash.

Two were “in uniform”, while the third worked at a rival newspaper and was therefore taking a serious risk, the Old Bailey jury was told.

The July 2005 email read: “Morning, Stuart. Understand that, as you know, there are only three people I ever pay in cash. Two are in uniform and we — them, you, me, the editor — would all end up in jail if anyone traced their payments. They’ve had Special Branch crawling all over them since we ran a five-par story about an Operation Trident arrest at Clarence House.

“Thanks to the way we pay them, they’re untraceable. The third is an executive at another newspaper who is also taking on potentially life-altering risks for us and will not accept any other form of payment.” News of the World and Sun editor Rebekah Brooks, 45, Andy Coulson, also 45, Ian Edmondson, 44, and Kuttner, 73, all deny conspiring with others to hack phones between October 3 2000 and August 9, 2006.

Brooks is also accused of two counts of conspiring with others to commit misconduct in public office — one between January 1, 2004, and January 31, 2012, and the other between February 9, 2006, and October 16, 2008 — linked to alleged inappropriate payments to public officials.

Former NoW editor Coulson also faces two allegations that he conspired with Goodman, 56, and others to commit misconduct in public office between August 31, 2002, and January 31, 2003, and January 31 and June 3, 2005.

Brooks also faces two allegations of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice — one with her former personal assistant Cheryl Carter, 49, between July 6 and 9, 2011, and a second with her husband, Charles Brooks, and former News International head of security Mark Hanna and others between July 15 and July 19, 2011. All deny the charges. The trial continues.

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