From Reuters:
Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, two former editors of Rupert Murdoch's now defunct News of the World tabloid, were having an affair at the time their reporters are accused of hacking into phones, a court heard on Thursday.
Prosecutor Andrew Edis said the closeness of their relationship showed that both knew as much as each other how staff at the tabloid were operating. Both have denied conspiring to hack into phones or making illegal payments to public officials.
...
The relationship had been discovered after police found a word document containing a 2004 letter on a computer stored at Brooks's home.
"You are my best friend ... I tell you everything, I confide in you ... I love you, I care about you," the letter from Brooks to Coulson said, according to Edis who read it out to the jury of nine women and three men.
http://www.reuters.com/...
The hypocrisy of these two monster minions is appalling. Here they are alleged to be trolling illegally for others' infidelity, all the while engaging in it themselves. Coulson married Eloise Patrick in 2000, and has two children with her. Brooks was at the time married to Ross Kemp (2002 - 2009).
As BBC Home Affairs (no pun intended) Correspondent Dominic Casciani just tweeted (@BBCDomC) from the trial:
Tape near inaudible. Andy Coulson refers to newsworthiness of Home Secretary having a relationship with a married woman.
And another tweet from
Brit during the trial today, implying similar double standards from Brooks:
Edis says story published on 15th - Blunketts Unknown Lover - the next day contacts with Brooks. On the Monday 16th Sun names the woman
This might be kind of funny if Brooks and Coulson hadn't likely ruined so many peoples' lives with their alleged snooping.
Update 1:
From the comments, Lib Dem FoP found this clarifying excerpt from the BBC:
Former News of the World editors Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson were having an affair for at least six years from the late 1990s, the phone-hacking trial has heard. Prosecutor Andrew Edis QC said he was disclosing the affair because it showed how much the pair trusted each other.
"What Mr Coulson knew, Mrs Brooks knew too. What Mrs Brooks knew, Mr Coulson knew too," he said. "That's the point." Mrs Brooks and Mr Coulson deny charges, including conspiracy to phone hack.
Jurors heard their affair, which began around 1998, was discovered by police through a letter saved on a computer belonging to Mrs Brooks. The letter was written by Mrs Brooks in February 2004, when Mr Coulson was trying to end the affair, Mr Edis said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/...
Updated 2:
4:00pm ET - Brit's piece is now up on The Daily Beast:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/...
He is smart to keep the details 'alleged' in his reporting, because who knows, really - this could be a concocted or exaggerated story to somehow keep Rupert out of the mud.
Popcorn time, regardless.
Update 3:
From the comments, Brit has MORE!:
Apart from the staggering hypocrisy revealed by Brooks and Coulson exposing other people's affairs including senior ministers (note I don't say they exposed them by criminal means - unproven till the trial ends) there was another staggering bit of information buried in the opening.
The prosecution didn't need to refer to Glenn Mulcaire (the acknowledged hacking private investigtor) to prove Blunkett's voice mails were hacked.
All the voice mails from Blunkett about the affair were safely stored in the safe of NI's top flight lawyer - Tom Crone.
Gobsmacking
(my bold)
Update 4:
Still more from Brit in the comments:
I ought to add something now today's evidence has sunk in.
The really shocking stuff was about Milly Dowler, the way NOTW harassed and bullied the police, the way (according to the crown) Brooks harried the parents of Milly to give an exclusive interview, offering rewards, all the time senior editors were instructing Mulcaire to hack her phone, and sending out dozens of reporters on a wild goose chase because of a wrong number, and then withholding what they knew from the police so they could get a scoop.
So if Eric wants to update, please add this thought
Lest we forget. Today it was revealed at the Old Bailey that Mulcaire's invoice to NOTW was marked "Milly Dowler Messages"
And it was paid in full.
-Brit
(my bold)
I suddenly feel less cuckoo for wondering if this Brooks-Coulson affair might be a bit of a diversion.