#NewsInternational #executive said #RebekahBrooks would be #protected #Email from #WillLewis allegedly #found on #computer at Brookss #address mentions #legalretort to #allegations from #MPs Will Lewis Will Lewis, then News Internationals group general manager, shares a car with Rupert Murdoch in Wapping, east London, in 2011. Photograph: Lewis Whyld/PA A senior News International executive working alongside Rebekah Brooks told her husband she would be protected from attacks by MPs over the #phonehacking allegations, the #OldBailey has heard. Emails, allegedly found on an Apple computer at the London address of Brooks and her husband, Charlie, included one from Will Lewis as the News of the World faced fresh allegations from Labour MP Chris Bryant over hacking claims in March 2011. One of the questions posed by Bryant was whether alleged phone hacking had begun under the editorship of Brooks (then known as Rebekah Wade), the jury was told. In 2011 Brooks was chief executive of News of the World publisher News International. On 11 March 2011 Brookss husband, Charlie, emailed Lewis: Hi Will. Is Rebekah ok? Bryant point one seemed pretty aggressive. Lewis, a senior News International executive, replied: Charlie. Shes OK. We were working flat out on other things with Rupert all day yesterday so it didnt really have an effect. She was knackered by close of play as jet lag did for her. Hopefully had a better sleep last night. More generally Bryant is clearly making stuff up. There was a concerted effort by him and some other MPs and Panorama this Monday to push the start of the saga back before 2005 in order to target Rebekah. We will not let this happen. Panorama has already been hit by two legal letters. Brookss husband responded: Thanks Will. Was worried. I am glad she has you alongside her. Another email exchange, allegedly found on the same computer and shown to the jury, began with Tory MP Philip Dunne emailing a news story about the Milly Dowler hacking allegations on 4 July 2011 to Charlie Brooks. He then forwarded it to Lewis, with the message: Hi Will. I have the Friends dvd. Is the below a problem for Rebekah? Lewis replied: Another attempted hit on Rebekah by [Tom] Watson [MP]. Far from ideal and the Dowler family quotes are bad. We are on the back foot as we are blind on the Mulcaire documents. The allegation was that the murdered schoolgirls phone had been hacked. There was no evidence of another allegation made at the time that her messages had been deleted, the jury were reminded. In the early hours of 5 July 2011, Brooks was working on a draft of a public statement she was to make, attaching it in an email to her husband at 3.52am with the message: I think this needs work, darling, the court heard. She emailed a finished version to him later in the day, writing in the subject field: think Swan baby xxx. The statement, which was sent to staff, described the Milly Dowler allegations as almost too horrific to believe. It added: I hope you all realise it is inconceivable that I knew or worse sanctioned this appalling behaviour. In an earlier email chain, found on the same computer and dated 7 April 2011, Brooks and Lewis discussed a draft statement relating to the launch of a compensation scheme and civil litigation claims against the company over hacking allegations. Lewis emailed Brooks: I dont think we should use the rogue reporter phrase in the statement? Brooks responded: Send it to me please. The finished version did not contain the phrase, the court heard. The jury were also shown documents relating to Brookss response following the 2007 trial of former royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire. To one request, from the Press Complaints Commission, to detail procedures in place in March 2007, when she was editor of the Sun, she wrote that the paper deplores the type of snooping revealed by the Goodman case. It added staff breaking the law would be in breach of contract and could face instant dismissal. On cash payments, she said no payments were made without being referred for authorisation to the editor, or editor of the day. Brooks, Andy Coulson (another former News of the World editor), Stuart Kuttner (the papers former managing editor) and Ian Edmondson (its former head of news), all deny conspiracy to intercept mobile phone voicemail messages. Brooks, Coulson and the papers former royal editor, Clive Goodman, all deny conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. Brooks, her husband Charlie, her former PA Cheryl Carter, and the News International head of security, Mark Hanna, all deny conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. The case continues on Monday. theguardian/uk-news/2013/nov/21/phone-hacking-trial-brooks-emails-found?guni=Network%20front:network-front%20main-3%20Main%20trailblock:Network%20front%20-%20main%20trailblock:Position22
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 00:26:20 +0000
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