Hacking trial told Andy Coulson ordered newsdesk to ‘do’ Calum Best’s phone

Ex-News of the World editor Andy Coulson ordered the newsdesk to 'do' Calum Best’s mobile, the phone-hacking trial heard today.

Andrew Edis QC read from an email from Coulson dated 5 May 2006 to news editor Ian Edmondson. According to the email Coulson said: “Do his phone.”

Edis said the jury would have to consider the meaning behind the message.

The court heard that Coulson was worried that Best was going to leak an exclusive story to a rival publication.

It was claimed that he had fathered a child with a woman called Lorna Hogan and the News of the World planned to run a story.

Coulson was concerned that the story might get leaked because Best had "close mates inside NotW".

Edmondson told him in an email on 20 May 2006: "I know she is a nightmare but at the moment I'm looking at every little thing. Same thing happened before, Calum bragging I have close mates inside NotW."

The court heard Coulson replied: "Do his phone."

Coulson and Edmondson both deny any involvement in the hacking conspiracy.

Edis described the evidence against Edmondson as “quite simply overwhelming”.

The court heard a list of 20 names of phone-hacking victims which included TV stars, politicians and ordinary members of the public.

Edis said a hairdresser called Laura Rooney was targeted for phone-hacking because they thought, quite wrongly, that she was related to England striker Wayne Rooney.