Phone Hacking Trial: Former NoW journalist emailed Sun colleague about phone hacking, jury hears – Martin Hickman

DAY 12: A former News of the World news editor emailed a Sun journalist about the targeting of Heather Mills’ mobile phone, the hacking trial heard today. Greg Miskiw wrote to the employee of the NoW’s sister paper on 29 May 2006, days after Ms Mills and Sir Paul McCartney had announced their separation.

In the message, Miskiw referred to Mills’ phone being monitored but that she was not using it, and that there was “nothing new”.

Miskiw, who has previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to hack phones, commissioned the interception of voicemails from the News of the World’s hacking expert, private detective Glenn Mulcaire, with whom he worked closely.

By the time he sent the message to the employee at News International’s daily tabloid, the Sun, in 2005, Miskiw had left News of the World and was freelancing. The email’s recipient cannot be named for legal reasons.

Its existence was disclosed at the Old Bailey on the twelfth day of the phone hacking trial, after the prosecution disclosed that Mulcaire had “carried out investigations” into people close to Sir Paul, including Ms Mills, her sister Fiona Mills and his publicist Alan Edwards.

Earlier, the prosecution read out a series of witness statements from individuals targeted by Mulcaire, including the TV cook Delia Smith and her husband Michael Wynn-Jones, and Wayne Rooney and his namesake Laura Rooney – a beauty therapist from Windsor whom the News of the World apparently believed was a member of the footballer’s family.

Others were the former Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell and her husband David Mills, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and his former diary secretary Tracey Temple, Lord Frederick Windsor, and the Liberal Democrat MP Mark Oaten.

The court heard that Mulcaire obtained the ex-directory landline number and PIN codes of Eunice Huthart, a Hollywood stunt double, while she shared a house in Los Angeles with the actress Angelina Jolie.

It happened in 2005 at the time Ms Jolie and Brad Pitt began their relationship while filming Mr and Mrs Smith.

Later, Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting, showed the jury a list of names which appeared on a “target evaluation list” drawn up by Mulcaire (who has pleaded guilty to hacking phones at an earlier hearing and will be sentenced later.)

Mr Edis named some of the individuals, who have already taken centre stage in the trial. Referring to future proceedings, he added: “You will hear the name of Kate Middleton in the evidence.”

All eight defendants, including News International’s former chief executive Rebekah Brooks and her fellow former News of the World editor Andy Coulson deny conspiracy to hack phones and other charges. The trial is expected to last between five and six months.