Day 21 (Part 1): Andy Coulson offered Clive Goodman “every possible support” after he was arrested for hacking into the voicemails of aides to the Royal family, the phone hacking trial heard today. Mr Coulson, then News of the World editor sympathised with Mr Goodman in phone call on 8 November 2006. The call was secretly taped by Mr Goodman.
The court has heard that Mr Coulson, who went on to become communications director for Prime Minister, David Cameron, resigned from the editorship in January 2007 on the day Mr Goodman was jailed, saying he condemned the hacking.
In the phone call, three months before the sentencing, Mr Coulson told Mr Goodman: “It`s not a foregone conclusion that you will be dismissed…”
Mr Goodman responded: “I just don`t see how it’s possible.”
Mr Coulson continued: “I can’t sit here and make predictions as to what is going to happen…. but I can tell you that you know as the editor what the intention is…”
Mr Goodman: “Yeah…”
Mr Coulson: “… and the intention is to give you every possible support through this process.. erm… absolutely understanding, Clive, that you`re the one at the sharp end of it…”
Earlier in the call, Mr Goodman – who had been arrested in August 2006 – briefed Mr Coulson on the volume of evidence the Metropolitan Police had obtained about hacking.
Mr Goodman said: “… the case against Glenn [Mulcaire] is massive really, um all sorts of stuff they picked up in his place as I told you, the other, the other names, PIN numbers of people and my concern is that I don`t somehow become associated.”
Mr Coulson replied: “Of course, yeah.”
Mr Coulson and other defendants deny plotting to hack phones. The case continues.
Reblogged this on David Hencke and commented:
This secretly taped call between Andy Coulson and Clive Goodman – later to be jailed for phone hacking – reveals Coulson was prepared to back him to the end. It also reveals that as early as 2006 the NotW should have realised the game would be up because the Met police had extensive evidence of phone hacking from investigator Glenn Mulcaire’s files.
Reblogged this on Vox Political.