Lawyers for the News of the World today played videotapes in court purporting to show a gang plotting the kidnap of Victoria Beckham.
One tape showed a researcher working for the News of the World - Mahmood Qureshi, who is known by his nickname "Jaws" and is the cousin of the paper's investigations editor, Mazher Mahmood - apparently being recruited as a driver for the alleged gang.
The frequently unintelligible films were aired on the second day of a libel trial brought against the paper by one of the alleged gang members over an article in November 2002 that claimed to have foiled a £5m plan to hold the former Spice Girl to ransom.
Although a trial of five men collapsed in June 2003 after the News of the World's informant was deemed to be an unreliable witness, the paper has stood by its story and is vigorously defending the libel claim launched by Romanian Alin Turcu.
The first tape shown today showed Turcu and two associates meeting the News of the World informant, Florim Gashi, at a pub in Brixton, south London, on October 24 2002.
As well as talking over drinks about the Beckham plan, they discussed a plan to rob a security guard at Sotheby's and how they would sell a jewel-encrusted turban stolen from the auction house.
The News of the World's barrister, John Kelsey-Fry QC, said the tapes had recorded "discussions about real crimes" and were not "idle pub banter".
"It was a meeting which clearly involved discussions about real crimes. Real crimes were being planned, the turban and other items really had been stolen. The Sotheby's guard had really been viewed the previous day and they were planning to rob him in the future.
"It's in that context that the Beckham kidnap was being discussed, not in the context of idle pub banter."
A second tape, which was so hard to follow that the judge described watching it as "a complete waste of time", showed Qureshi in a Brixton pub on the following day being introduced by Gashi to Turcu and his associate Adrian Pasareanu.
Mr Kelsey-Fry said the tape showed Qureshi recruited as the driver for the proposed kidnap for a £15,000 fee. " They have recruited him for a serious crime. It's our contention that that is simply inexplicable as being the product of idle pub banter."
Mr Kelsey-Fry then read out the transcript of an audiotape recording a discussion between Gashi and another alleged gang member, "Jay" Sorin.
Turcu's advocate, David Price, is arguing there is no evidence that his client was part of a kidnap plot or involved in any other crimes: "The most that can be said about the claimant is that he kept bad company and engaged in tasteless conversation in bars instigated by a News of the World informant."
Further tapes are being shown or read out by the paper's legal team this afternoon, before the case moves on to cross-examination of witnesses.
Three News of the World employees - Qureshi, Mahmood himself and recording equipment expert Conrad Brown - will appear on the witness stand tomorrow.
It will be a rare public appearance for Mahmood, whose face is always disguised by the News of the World.
The case, which is being heard at the high court in London, is likely to be finished by the end of next week.
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