News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks' voicemail was hacked
Trial of Rebekah Brooks told she was targeted by investigator working for her own paper
Rebekah Brooks, the former editor of Britain’s News of the World on trial for phone-hacking, had her own voicemail repeatedly targeted by the private investigator working for her newspaper, a court in London heard on Wednesday.
Brooks, a confidante of Rupert Murdoch and Prime Minister David Cameron, was one of hundreds whose name was found in the notebooks of Glenn Mulcaire, who has pleaded guilty to voicemail interception on behalf of the now defunct Sunday tabloid newspaper.
Four of the closest aides to Queen Elizabeth’s grandsons, Princes William and Harry, and a host of celebrities were among other victims to have had their voicemail messages repeatedly hacked for stories, prosecutors told the court at the Old Bailey.
Brooks, 45, is on trial with another former editor, Andy Coulson, and six others on various charges related to phone-hacking, making illegal payments for stories and hindering police investigations. They all deny the charges.
Police found scribbled notes in Mulcaire’s home detailing the mobile numbers, security pin details and passwords of hundreds of people. The notes included full transcripts of voicemail messages, records of calls and text messages, while audio recordings of private conversations were also found.
Questioning a police officer about the presence of Brooks’ name among Mulcaire’s notes, her lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw asked whether Brooks had been the victim of voicemail interceptions. “She was targeted, yes,” Detective Constable Tim Hargreaves replied.
The phone-hacking accusations sent shockwaves through the British establishment, led to a public inquiry into the conduct of the press and forced Murdoch to close the 168-year-old News of the World, Britain’s best-selling newspaper that splashed celebrity exposes.
