Rebekah Brooks claims she did not know phone hacking was illegal

News Of The World final edition. Photograph by Howard Lake

Rebekah Brooks has claimed that she did not know that phone hacking was illegal when she was editor of News Of The World.

Brooks, 45, told the jury at the Old Bailey that while she knew nothing of contracting Glenn Mulcaire to access Milly Dowling’s voicemail, she hypothetically might have authorised the use of such techniques on other occasions if she believed there was sufficient public interest in a story.

However, she maintains that no journalist or sub-editor had asked her to approve the use of phone hacking to get stories at any point while she was editor of the now defunct Sunday newspaper.

Speaking for the third day about the hacking of Milly Dowler’s phone, Brooks said that she reacted with “shock, horror, everything” when she discovered on 4th July 2011 that NOTW journalists had hacked the missing girl’s voicemail.

Brooks denies all the charges against her including conspiring to hack phones, conspiring to commit misconduct in public office, and conspiring to cover up evidence to pervert the course of justice.