Tom Crone told the Leveson inquiry into press standards that he went into the 10 June 2008 meeting with Murdoch, who was chairman of the paper's owner News International, armed with documents that appeared to show that hacking was not the work of a "rogue reporter".
"I think I took a copy of the 'for Neville' email," Crone told the inquiry on Wednesday. "I can't remember whether they were passed across the table to him but I'm pretty sure I held up the front page of the email. I am also pretty sure he already knew about it." Colin Myler, the paper's editor at the time, was also at the meeting.
The email in question contained transcripts of voicemails intercepted from a mobile phone belonging to Gordon Taylor, who was suing the News of the World. It was sent by one of the journalists on the title, Ross Hall, to private investigator Glenn Mulcaire for the attention of "Neville", which is understood to be a reference to the paper's former chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck.
It emerged on Tuesday that Murdoch was sent an email by Myler ahead of the June meeting which referred to and included a message from Crone referring to the email and the existence of the transcripts. The email chain was published by the House of Commons culture, media and sport committee yesterday along with a letter from Murdoch in which he insisted he had not read the "for Neville" email.
Asked on Wednesday by inquiry counsel Robert Jay QC about the 10 June meeting, which was called to discuss how to respond to Taylor's claim, Crone told the Leveson inquiry: "I certainly took a copy and possibly spare copies of the [legal] opinion." The legal opinion was drawn up by Michael Silverleaf QC and warned there was evidence of a culture of illegal information gathering at the paper. Murdoch told parliament in October that he had been told about the email and the legal opinion but insisted he had not be shown either document.
Murdoch told MPs he had been advised by Myler and Crone to settle the Taylor case because the PFA chief executive had obtained evidence from Scotland Yard that proved his phone had been hacked by the News of the World. He denies he was told that hacking went beyond Goodman and that this was the reason he authorised a six-figure pay-off to Taylor.
At the time, News International was insisting that only one reporter, former royal editor Clive Goodman, had hacked into mobile phone messages, and that he had done so secretly with Mulcaire without the company's knowledge.
Crone said of the 10 June meeting: "What was certainly discussed was the email… the damning email and what it meant in terms of further involvement in phone hacking beyond Goodman and Mulcaire." He added: "This document clearly was direct and hard evidence of that."
Cone said: "I left that meeting knowing that Mr Murdoch was prepared to settle the case if necessary for a bit more than … £350,000."
Myler is likely to be asked about the meeting with Murdoch and Crone when he gives evidence to the inquiry this afternoon. Myler told parliament earlier this year that Murdoch was told about the contents of the "for Neville" email.
James Robinson @'The Guardian'
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