Former 'News of the World' editor and British Premier David Cameron's ex-communications chief Andy Coulson today admitted for the first time in court that he listened to hacked voicemails of an MP.
The messages, belonging to former home secretary and Labour MP David Blunkett, date back to 2004, which Coulson told the ongoing phone-hacking trial here he now knew were "the product of an illegal act" but was not aware then.
Blunkett had left the messages for his lover journalist Kimberly Fortier.
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Coulson, who is accused of conspiracy to hack phones and conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office, was testifying at the Old Bailey court here for a third day today.
He claimed he was "shocked" when the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid's chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck rang him while on a holiday in 2004 to say he had information that the then home secretary was having an affair with Fortier, the married publisher of the 'Spectator' magazine.
"I was shocked because he told me that he had heard some voicemail messages and I was shocked that he was telling me this as well as it was in relation to David Blunkett, the home secretary," he said.
He added: "I remember I was quite angry about it and I used some colourful language and I asked 'what on earth do you think you are doing?'"
Asked by his barrister Timothy Langdale where he thought the voicemails had come from, Coulson said: "If I made an assumption, the assumption was that Neville had done this himself."
Coulson said he felt this was "an apparent breach of privacy" and ordered Thurlbeck to drop the story.
Coulson added he spent the weekend thinking about the issue and then decided that there was enough public interest in the story to put the allegations to Blunkett.
The jury was then played a recording of a phone call in which Coulson confronted Blunkett about the affair and heard the minister repeatedly asking what evidence he had.
In reply, Coulson said he had "extremely reliable sources" but did not mention the intercepted messages.
Thurlbeck has already admitted being involved in phone- hacking.
Coulson is the last of seven defendants, who deny all charges against them, to give evidence.
He edited the News of the World from 2003 until 2007 and then served as Cameron's director of communications until 2011, earning him the unofficial title of spin doctor.
He resigned from the post soon after allegations of phone-hacking at Britain's major tabloid offices hit the headlines.
Both Coulson and colleague Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International, deny involvement in a phone hacking conspiracy at the 'News of the World'.
