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divdiv class=story-body readability=38 span class=story-date#13; span class=date29 October 2013/span#13;span class=time-textLast updated at /spanspan class=time12:12 ET/span#13; #13;/span#13;#13; #13;#13;#13; #13; #13; !-- Embedding the video player --#13;!-- This is the embedded player component --#13;#13;#13; #13; #13;#13;#13;#13;!-- wwrights check --#13;!-- Empty country is used on test environment --#13;#13;#13;#13;div class=videoInStoryB readability=1#13; div id=emp-24700003-11674 class=emp#13; #13; #13; noscript#13; div class=warning readability=1#13; img class=holding src=http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/70747000/jpg/_70747064_70746954.jpg alt=Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks/pstrongPlease turn on JavaScript./strong Media requires JavaScript to play./p#13; /div#13; /noscript#13; #13; !-- embedding script --#13; #13; /div#13; !-- companion banner -- #13; #13; #13; #13; !-- END - companion banner --!-- caption --p class=captionRebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson attend jury selection on Monday/p#13; !-- END - caption --#13; #13; #13;#13;/div#13;!-- end of the embedded player component --#13;#13;!-- Player embedded -- p class=introductionA jury of nine women and three men has been sworn in at the Old Bailey trial of former News of the World journalists accused of phone hacking./p#13; pMr Justice Saunders said the case was so important that British justice, not just the defendants, was on trial./p#13; pFormer News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks and former News of the World editor Andy Coulson are accused of conspiring with others to listen to voicemails./p#13; pThe eight defendants deny the charges./p#13; pThe trial concerns allegations of wrongdoing at the News of the World before it was closed down in July 2011 after claims journalists had hacked the mobile phone of murder victim Milly Dowler./p#13; pJury selection began on Monday and the trial could last up to six months. Andrew Edis QC will open the case for the prosecution on Wednesday./p#13; span class=cross-head'Significant publicity'/span#13; pMr Justice Saunders told the jury: I am going to give you some extremely important directions. They are always important but they could not be more important than they are in this particular case./p#13; pThe defendants are on trial but British justice is also on trial. It is a central principle of our system of trial by jury that you reach your verdicts only on the evidence heard in court. Where evidence is given in court that can be and will be tested./p#13; pThere has been a great deal of publicity about this case, perhaps an unprecedented amount. The internet is generally not controlled and often fuelled by opinion and speculation, a great deal of information is imparted and received by people through Facebook and Twitter./p#13; #13; pA significant amount of publicity has been inaccurate and misleading... offensive and demeaning to some of the defendants. A lot is ill-informed and most of it is abusive./p#13; pMr Justice Saunders referred to this week's edition of Private Eye magazine, saying its attempt to produce a satirical cover was exactly what the jury should put out of their minds./p#13; pPrivate Eye has seen fit today to put out their November edition... it bears a picture of Rebekah Brooks on the cover, he said./p#13; pIt is meant to be satire. You ignore it; it has no serious input and it is not relevant to your considerations. It is one of those things that you will have to ignore, a joke that in the circumstances of today is a joke in exceptionally bad taste./p#13; pIt is only the views of you 12 that we want at the end of this trial./p#13; pThe judge warned the jury there had been occasions when jurors had failed to follow instructions to decide the case only on the evidence before them and had sought out information online./p#13; pHe said that in these circumstances a juror could be in contempt of court and face jail. /p#13; span class=cross-headCorrupt payments/span#13; pMs Brooks was editor of the newspaper between 2000 and 2003 before being made editor of The Sun. She went on to become the chief executive of News International. /p#13; pIt is alleged that she conspired with others at the newspaper to intercept communications between October 2000 and August 2006 by listening to mobile phone messages. /p#13; #13; pShe faces two further counts of allegedly making corrupt payments to public officials and two final accusations that she allegedly conspired to pervert the course of justice by removing and concealing evidence./p#13; pMr Coulson faces the same alleged phone-hacking charge as Ms Brooks. He and Clive Goodman, the newspaper’s former royal editor, face two counts of conspiring to make corrupt payments to public officials./p#13; pIan Edmondson and Stuart Kuttner, the newspaper’s former head of news and managing editor respectively, are also accused of involvement in the same alleged phone hacking. /p#13; pThe final three defendants are Ms Brooks’s husband, Charlie, her former personal assistant at News International. Cheryl Carter, and Mark Hanna, the company’s head of security./p#13; pThey are accused alongside Ms Brooks of conspiring to pervert the course of justice./p#13; /div/divbrbrcentera href=http://www.wizardrss.comPowered By WizardRSS.com/a | a href=http://www.wizardrss.comFull Text RSS Feed/a | a href=http://www.amazon.com/RFID-Blocking-Cards-Identity-Protector/dp/B00CJHZLEWRFID/a | a href=http://www.wpzonbuilder.comAmazon Affiliate/a/center