It is “inconceivable” that the picture editor of the Sun was involved in a plot to commit misconduct in public office, a jury has been told.
John Edwards is on trial because of four emails sent to him by the paper’s district reporter, Jamie Pyatt, requesting that the picture desk would share the cost of stories, his counsel told Kingston crown court.
Sacha Wass QC said Edwards did not answer the first email,; the second he rushed off a reply of “okay, Jamie”; the third he replied “yes, £500 is fine”; and the fourth was an email asking him to act because the deputy news editor, who would normally approve payments, had quit the company.
Wass said there was no evidence that the second emailed request for payment to sources – linked to a story headlined “Beastlie Boys” about musical equipment going to Broadmoor – referred to a public official. It was the same for the third email, she said.
“Ask yourselves: is [Edwards] steeped in the corruption of public officials? Is that the weight of evidence against him?’”
Wass said the trial of Edwards and four other former or current Sun staff had given the jury a glimpse of “dog eat dog world of journalism”.
But, she added, the trial was about news, not about pictures; there was no evidence in the trial of any picture being sourced through “bungs” to public officials, she said.
“As pictures editor, [Edwards] had no role, no job function and no motive whatsoever to secure the sort of headlines you have seen in this case,” said Wass.
“That John Edwards agreed to the wholesale corruption to bribe public officers, that is what the prosecution allege. It is inconceivable on the facts of this case that Mr Edwards is possibly guilty.
“In this case Mr Edwards has no motive at all to bend the rules. He told you he would have known paying a police officer was not right,” said Wass.
Edwards and his five co-defendants – Ben O’Driscoll, Chris Pharo, Graham Dudman, John Troup and Jamie Pyatt – deny all the charges against them.
The trial continues.
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