This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Audio recordings of voicemails left by the former home secretary David Blunkett to a married woman with whom he was having a relationship were found by police in a safe at a lawyer's office at the News of the World, the Old Bailey has heard.

The jury was told that two sets of recordings of voicemail messages left by Blunkett to people with whom he was associated were recovered – one from private investigator Glenn Mulcaire's house, another from the safe in legal manager Tom Crone's office at the Sunday paper.

This represented new material in relation to the investigation into Mulcaire, who has pleaded guilty to hacking-related offences.

An officer from Operation Weeting, the Metropolitan police investigation into phone hacking, told the jury the recordings were of "deeply personal messages" from Blunkett to Kimberley Quinn and were "intrusive". One message ended "you are breaking my heart".

The crown asked if it was a fair summary to say that she seemed to be wanting to end the relationship and he "seemed to be upset". DS Tim Hargreaves replied: "Yes."

In another message left on 21 June 2004, the prosecutor Andrew Edis said: "He says he is going to go to a party with Rebekah Wade [now Brooks] who is having a party for Ross Kemp's 40th birthday and then he's going to collapse into bed."

The court heard that also found in the safe were draft articles about Blunkett and Quinn by Neville Thurlbeck, then News of the World chief reporter, in which he referred to Blunkett as "Noddy" and Quinn as "Big Ears".

The court was told the the names "Noddy " and "Big Ears" were News International codes for the two – and not the names used by Blunkett and Quinn themselves.

One draft document, by Thurlbeck, found in the safe was read to the court by Edis.

Thurlbeck has pleaded guilty to hacking-related charges.

"It says Noddy and Big Ears have been having an affair since July 2001. The exact date it started is to be pinned down."

The document continued: "Noddy says 'I just yearn for you. It was very different meal and a very different journey we went on three years ago. Oh, what can happen in three years. I still long for you though.'"

It added: "Reading the messages they are clearly splitting up after a three-year affair. This has been instigated by Big Ears. Noddy is devastated and is seeking a meeting as soon as possible. He is at [an address of a country home] . She is about to leave for [another place in the country]. I have a possible address for her there and we have bikes and cars on her round the clock. Very low key."

The document continued: "There is a meeting scheduled for Wednesday August 11 AM. No further details on where. But if it is brought forward, we are in a good position to catch it. Though we do not have an address for Noddy in [place redacted] yet. I have a phone number for his address there but haven't done anything with it for obvious reasons. I think we should go and find it in advance. It shouldn't be too hard. It's clearly next to a church as a church bell can be heard on one of the messages."

Edis said the document continued: "She has said she has something to tell Noddy which must be in the presence of a third party, namely Jonathan. Jonathan Sedgwick is his aide."

"The voice[mails] relating to Kimberly Quinn were exclusively recovered in News International," Edis told the court.

"Voicemails were recovered in two places – Glenn Mulcaire's [house] and the safe at News International ... These voicemail recordings were recovered from News International, from Tom Crone's safe," he said.

Blunkett's phone was not hacked, the jury was told, but people who were associated with him were. There were 330 recordings of messages left by Blunkett and other people to Quinn recovered by police. The jury heard this included multiple recordings where a voicemail was listened to more than once.

The court heard that Mulcaire's house was searched in August 2006 following his arrest in relation to phone hacking.

In a statement partially read out in court, Blunkett said notes from Mulcaire's house dating back to January 2004 showed a page with his address, his phone number and details of relatives.

They also contained his address in Sheffield, his mobile number, the mobile number of his special adviser and others associated with him.

The tapes were found in an envelope in Crone's safe marked "Thurlbeck Now 12.08.04 Noddy and Big Ears".

The crown heard that there were 11 contacts between Thurlbeck and Blunkett.

In one note recovered from Mulcaire the investigator wrote: NI contract; the word "Blunkett" and the figure "£750". An invoice for this amount was referred to in court.

The note continued: "need to triangulate calls; build up a call profile and make sure it stands up on its own".

Mulcaire's note was dated 11 August. The court heard that on that day phone billing records showed contact between Andy Coulson, the editor at the time, and Thurlbeck and then with Rebekah Brooks, by then editor of the Sun.

There was continuing contact between Coulson and Brooks in the two days following. Both deny a charge of conspiring to intercept voicemails.

A tape of a meeting between Coulson trying to get Blunkett to confirm the relationship was then played to the jury.

Coulson tells Blunkett he believes the story to be true and that if he doen't run it someone else will.

"People know about this affair. I'm not saying it's an open secret, but people are aware of it," Coulson was heard telling Blunkett.

The tape recording was made by Blunkett when Coulson visited him in Sheffield. The former home secretary parries with Coulson and tells him he won't confirm or deny any story of an affair because it would breach his principle of keeping his private life private.

"You are asking me to say, 'Yes, I'm having a relationship with a married woman'?" asks Blunkett. "Yes," says Coulson.

Coulson tells Blunkett that he is prepared to run a story but leave Quinn's name out of it.

Blunkett says his private life is "not fair game". He tells Coulson: "I'm not a media star. I'm a politician trying to do a difficult job."

The jury was told that the News of the World published its article on Sunday August 15 2004 and did not name Quinn.

On that Sunday there were 12 "contacts events" between Coulson and Brooks, phone records showed, said Edis.

On the Monday the Sun named Quinn, and later that week ran a story about her pregnancy, the jury was told.

The trial continues.