Coulson ‘was out of town on day hacker claims Sienna tape was played to him’
ANDY Coulson was not at the News of the World on the day a phone hacker claims he played him an incriminating voicemail from Sienna Miller, it was claimed yesterday.
Lawyers for the former Downing Street communications chief told a court he was not in London on the day Dan Evans claims he played him the hacked voicemail in the newspaper’s office.
Evans had described how Coulson allegedly listened to the taped message – in which Miss Miller told James Bond star Daniel Craig ‘I love you’ – and then masterminded an elaborate cover-up to hide the fact it was illegally hacked. The journalist has repeatedly told the phone hacking trial that it was Coulson who told him to make a copy of the tape, put it in a Jiffy bag and pretend it had been sent to the paper’s office anonymously.
But Timothy Langdale QC, defending former News of the World editor Coulson, 46, told Evans: ‘Mr Coulson wasn’t in the office at all that day.
‘He wasn’t even in London. What do you say to that?’ Evans, 38, appeared to falter as he admitted he could have made a mistake but insisted the tape-playing had happened as he described
‘Newspaper’s staff felt untouchable’
it. He conceded he could have ‘consistently mis-remembered’ the day in question but told the Old Bailey: ‘Clearly my recollection hasn’t been perfect about when it happened, but happen it did.’
In tense courtroom exchanges, Mr Langdale questioned the accuracy of key elements of Evans’s evidence.
A second journalist, who supposedly heard the tape with Coulson, was also away from the office on the day in question, the barrister said.
Evans admits hacking Mr Craig’s phone and told the court he heard a message from Miss Miller saying: ‘Hi, it’s me, can’t speak, I’m at the Groucho with Jude, I love you.’ Evans told the jury the message was left on September 24, 2005 and he played it to Coulson three days later.
But Mr Langdale said Miss Miller, who was going out with Jude Law at the time, was not at the Groucho Club in London that night. The jury has heard she was at her sister Savannah’s wedding in the West Country.
Evans also conceded a second message from Miss Miller, left on the phone of her step-mother Kelly Hoppen, could have been left by her sister.
He faced lengthy questioning about why Coulson would have listened to an illegally hacked voicemail about a front page exclusive in the middle of an open-plan office.
Evans said there was a culture of arrogance at the newspaper which meant staff felt ‘untouchable’.
Mr Langdale repeatedly accused him of altering his account and said there was no call data to support his claims about when he hacked Mr Craig’s phone. Evans insisted he was telling the truth, saying: ‘Why would I make this up? This isn’t a fun experience for me.’
He has admitted phone hacking, conspiring to commit misconduct and lying in a witness statement.
Evans has signed a deal with prosecutors under which his co-operation will be revealed to the judge before he is eventually sentenced.
Coulson denies conspiring to hack phones and commit misconduct. All seven defendants in the trial, including former Sun and News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks, deny all the charges. The trial continues.