Ex-boss of Murdoch's papers begins hacking defense

Rebekah Brooks, who ran Rupert Murdoch's News International and the now defunct News of the World in the United Kingdom, is due is due to begin her defense on Wednesday against allegations she was complicit in widespread phone-hacking at News of the World weekly.

Brooks, who was so close to the media mogul that she was dubbed his fifth daughter, will testify for the first time in the long-running trial after the prosecution formally wraps up its case against her, her husband and five other former Murdoch employees.

The case centers on widespread phone-hacking by journalists at the News of the World Sunday tabloid, which Murdoch closed amid huge public anger in July 2011, and other allegations of crimes by staff on its sister daily paper The Sun.

Brooks, who ran News Corp's British newspaper arm News International until July 2011 and had previously edited both papers, denies conspiracy to illegally intercept voicemail messages on mobile phones, conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office by authorizing illegal payments to public officials and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

During 14 weeks of testimony, prosecutors have detailed evidence of phone-hacking and other alleged crimes by journalists working for Murdoch's British titles.

The jury has heard that three senior journalists who held news editor roles at News of the World had admitted phone-hacking, while private detective Glenn Mulcaire, who worked for the paper, pleaded guilty to hacking.

Those hacked included the wife of future heir to the throne Prince William, Kate Middleton, and his younger brother Harry. Brooks is also said to have approved an illegal payment for a picture of William wearing a bikini to a party.

Those who have given evidence so far include actor Jude Law and his former girlfriend actress Sienna Miller.

But the most startling disclosure was that Brooks had had an affair with Andy Coulson, another former News of the World editor who went on to work as British Prime Minister David Cameron's media chief until 2011 and who is also on trial.

The prosecution's phone-hacking case against Brooks revolves around the tapping of the mobile phones of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.

News of the Dowler hacking in the summer of 2011 caused a media firestorm that prompted Murdoch to close the 168-year-old News of the World, then Britain's biggest-selling paper.

Mulcaire has admitted he hacked Dowler's phone after the 13-year-old went missing in March 2002 and the court has heard that a News of the World senior executive told police the paper had recordings of her voicemail messages. The tabloid then ran a story quoting them.

Brooks was on holiday at the time, but the prosecution has argued that she was in close contact with the paper, including with her then-deputy and lover Coulson, and would have been complicit in what happened.

The Dowler hacking allegation is particularly toxic for Brooks, as the public anger it generated ultimately led her to quit her job.

The jury was told that threats were made to executives including Brooks at the time, and they received hate mail with phrases such as "rotting in hell would be too good a punishment" and "the universal law of karma will exact its revenge".

As well as alleging that Brooks was involved in phone-hacking, prosecutors have said that she sanctioned illegal payments to public officials, including one for nearly $64,000 to a senior official in the British defense ministry.

Reuters

(China Daily 02/18/2014 page11)