Rebekah Brooks' role as editor of The Sun in paying sources was "disguised" from the corruption trial of six of the paper's journalists, a court heard today.

Hundreds of payment request forms signed by Brooks (pictured, Reuters) and her successor, Dominic Mohan, have failed to materialise at the trial at Kingston Crown Court, it is said.

Oliver Blunt QC told jurors they were "misled" about the editor's involvement, only for some evidence to be "flushed out" of News International (now News UK) by defence solicitors.