Phone hacking trial: Charlie Brooks ‘ashamed’ and ‘mortified’ about hiding material from police

Rebekah Brooks's husband has told the hacking trial that he felt "ashamed" and "mortified" over the bungled bid to hide property from police.

Giving evidence at the Old Bailey, Charlie Brooks said he had done something "very stupid" but items stashed in an underground car park at the couple's London flat were his.

The court has heard that property including laptops and lesbian porn DVDs were hidden on July 17 2011, the day police interviewed Mrs Brooks and carried out searches.

Brooks, 51, denies conspiring with his wife and News International head of security Mark Hanna to pervert the course of justice by concealing potential evidence.

Under cross-examination, the race horse trainer said: "I accept the fact I have brought it on myself. I'm not whingeing about it.

"I feel ashamed at what I have done to Mark Hanna, who is a good, innocent man.

"I'm mortified about the way I have embarrassed my wife. I'm furious with myself for being so stupid."

There was laughter in Court 12 when prosecutor Andrew Edis QC said Brooks was a "man of the world" and he replied: "Thank you very much. I have been around."

But Brooks said the police search had been "quite traumatic", adding: "My way of shutting it out was to watch a fairly pointless golf tournament."

He said he was also "under the influence" of alcohol but not "helplessly drunk" that day.

Of his wife's late night return home, he said: "I cannot remember that much about it. I do remember telling her they had been through the cornflakes because I thought that was a weird thing to do."

Brooks was also questioned about his novel, Switch, which he has said he wanted to keep out of the hands of police.

He told the court he had been worried that publisher Harper Collins, which is owned by News Corp, would "dump" him at the height of the hacking crisis because of his wife's connection.

On company support for his wife, Brooks said: "Rupert Murdoch did not want my wife to resign but it's not News Corp in its entirety."

Mrs Brooks, 45, of Churchill, Oxfordshire, denies conspiring to hack phones and commit misconduct in public office.

All seven defendants deny the charges against them.