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Mulcaire accessed NOTW editors' voicemails dozens of times, Old Bailey learns

05/02/2014

Martin Hickman

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News of the World contractor Glenn Mulcaire intercepted the phone messages of its current and former editors dozens of times, the Old Bailey learned today.

Prosecutor Mark Bryant-Heron showed the jury phone records disclosing that Mulcaire had accessed Rebekah Brooks's (then Wade's) voicemail 44 times between 1 March and 15 July 2006, and Andy Coulson's 21 times between 1 February and 25 July.

On his notes, shown to the jury, Mulcaire had recorded the mobile number, direct dial number and PIN of Mrs Brooks, NoW editor between 2000 and 2003. On one, he wrote "Wade... Ross Kemp." In another, Mulcaire wrote: "Charles somebody - ask Rebekah."

He mis-spelled Coulson - the editor of the News of the World at the time - as "Coulsdon" and recorded his mobile network "Voda", direct dial number and account details.

In top lefthand corner of one note on Coulson, where Mulcaire typically wrote the name of the journalist who commissioned him to intercept voicemails, Mulcaire wrote: Clive Goodman [The News of the World's then royal editor]. On another three notes Mulcaire wrote "Clive".

On another top-left entry, Mulcaire wrote: "Greg", referring to Greg Miskiw, a News of the World news editor who has previously admitted conspiring to hack phones.

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