Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson to face trial next September

FORMER newspaper editors Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson will face trial in September next year over alleged illegal payments to public officials, the pair have been told.

Brooks, 44, ex editor of The Sun and the now defunct News of the World, and David Cameron’s former spin doctor Coulson, another former News of the World editor, appeared at the Old Bailey today.

Appearing alongside them were The Sun’s former chief reporter John Kay, 69, ex News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman, 55, and Ministry of Defence official Bettina Jordan Barber, 39, also facing charges linked to Scotland Yard’s Operation Elveden investigation.

Operation Elveden was set up by the Met Police in the wake of the phone hacking scandal to investigate claims of unlawful payments by journalists to police officers and other public officials.

During the brief hearing before Mr Justice Fulford today, it was said that a plea and case management hearing is due to take place on 8 March 8 at the Old Bailey.

There will be applications to dismiss some of the charges over the alleged hacking of mobile phones belonging to up to 3,000 celebrities, politicians, royalty and victims of crime by several defendants.

All five who appeared in court are on unconditional bail.