Perjury case against UK PM’s ex-aide collapses

LONDON: A perjury trial against Andy Coulson, the ex-editor of Britain’s defunct News of the World tabloid and Prime Minister David Cameron’s former media chief, has collapsed, it could be reported Wednesday.
Coulson was cleared of perjury charges at Scotland’s High Court in Edinburgh, drawing a line under four years of legal action for Coulson, who was jailed for five months in a separate case for phone-hacking at the News of the World.
He had been on trial accused of lying under oath before a Scottish court in 2010 about his knowledge of voice-mail interception by the News of the World. After state prosecutors concluded their case against Coulson, judge David Burns upheld a motion from Coulson’s lawyers that he had no case to answer.
To constitute perjury, the alleged lies told at the original trial must be considered to potentially have a bearing on the jury in making their decision.
“I consider that the false evidence alleged in this indictment was not relevant evidence at the original trial and the charge of perjury in the indictment is irrelevant,” Burns said.
He gave his decision on Monday but it could not be reported until Wednesday as state prosecutors were given time to decide whether to appeal against the ruling. They did not appeal.
Speaking outside court, Coulson said he was pleased the judge had made “the right decision.”
“This prosecution was always wrong. I didn’t lie and the prosecution, in my view, was a gross waste of public money,” he said.





“I am just delighted that after four pretty testing years my family and myself have finally had a good day.”
Coulson, 47, became editor of global media baron Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World in 2003, then Britain’s biggest-selling newspaper.
He resigned in 2007 after his royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire were jailed in the first ever phone-hacking prosecutions.
Months later, Coulson became Cameron’s director of communications, but he stepped down in January 2011 as the hacking allegations re-emerged.
Murdoch shut the News of the World in July that year as the scandal engulfed the weekly tabloid.
In June 2014, Coulson was convicted of conspiring to intercept voice-mails while News of the World editor. He served less than five months of an 18-month jail sentence.
Jurors could not reach verdicts on two counts of conspiring to cause misconduct in public office, in relation to the alleged purchase of a royal phone directory.
Coulson was due to face a retrial but his case was one of several dropped in April after a string of reporters in similar cases were cleared.
Coulson’s separate perjury trial related to evidence he gave at the 2010 trial of Scottish socialist Tommy Sheridan, a former member of the Scottish Parliament.
Sheridan was being tried for perjury committed during his libel action against the News of the World, in which he won substantial damages. He was convicted.
Coulson had denied knowing about voice-mail interception at News of the World before 2006.
Cameron’s spokeswoman confirmed he was aware of the Scottish court’s decision, adding: “It is a matter for the court.”
Asked if Cameron would offer Coulson his old job back at his Downing Street office, the spokeswoman said: “He has got a director of communications.”