Tabloid journalist admits phone hacking celebrities

Mr Craig was one of a host of celebrities Dan Evans targeted after he joined the newspaper from the Sunday Mirror in 2005, also including Sol Campbell, Rolf Harris, Kelly Hoppen, Jade Goody and Steven Gerrard’s agent, the phone hacking trial at the old Bailey heard.

He said then-editor Andy Coulson knew about the hacking and had even given directions to Evans about how to hide the information from Mr Craig’s voicemail, by making it appear as if a tape of it had been handed in anonymously. Before the story of the alleged affair between Miss Miller, who was seeing actor Jude law at the time, and Mr Craig broke, Evans told how he had been bullied to come up with front page stories.

“It happened a number of times. The time we are talking about was a pretty unhappy one for me. I was bullied at work, having quite a hard time. I remember being monstered by (NotW journalist). He sent me an email saying ‘If you do not come up with a front page story you might as well jump off a cliff’.”

The court heard Evans has already admitted conspiracy to hack phones at the Sunday Mirror between February 2003 and January 2005, and the same offence at the News of the World between April 2004 and June 2010. He also admitted to conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office between January 2008 and June 2010, and perverting the course of justice by giving a false statement in the High Court. Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson, 46, a PR consultant of Charing, Kent, denies conspiring to hack phones and conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office. All seven defendants in the case, including former Sun and News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks, deny all the charges against them.

The trial continues today.