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Journalist pleads guilty in phone-hacking case

Jude Law attends the photo call for 'Dom Hemingway' at the Bell Lightbox during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 9, 2013. UPI/Christine Chew
Jude Law attends the photo call for 'Dom Hemingway' at the Bell Lightbox during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 9, 2013. UPI/Christine Chew | License Photo

LONDON, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- A fourth journalist, Dan Evans of the Sunday Mirror, pleaded guilty Monday to phone hacking in an ongoing trial in London.

Evans is the first journalist to admit to hacking cellphones of British politicians and celebrities while working for a newspaper other than the News of the World although he also wrote for the now-closed tabloid, the British newspaper the Guardian reported.

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Evans told the jury a target list he was given at the Mirror was "lists of celebrities' voicemail pin numbers" and "celebrity agents [agents' phone numbers] where you would pick up voicemails left by them."

He described how he was handed "pages of famous people's numbers [at the Mirror]" and told: "This is your job. You have to hack and crack the voicemail, pin codes of all these people."

He added he carried out phone-hacking for about 1 1/2 years.

British actor Jude Law also testified Monday, saying he had no clue a family member allegedly sold information about his private live to News of the World.

Law testified the first time he learned someone was paid for information about his relationship with Sienna Miller was "today," the Guardian reported.

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The actor was called to be questioned about his knowledge of the News of the World's revelations in 2005 that his then-girlfriend Miller was having an affair with "James Bond" movie star Daniel Craig.

Law, questioned about his knowledge of the 2005 revelation in the tabloid that closed after the massive phone hacking scandal broke, said he learned a family member had spoken to the newspaper when he was approached by the police investigating phone hacking allegations against by Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator who worked for the News of the World.

Asked if he knew about "an immediate member" providing information to the News of the World for money, Law said, "I've never been aware of that, of anyone getting paid for that."

He was being questioned by Timothy Langdale, the lawyer representing former News of the World editor Andy Coulson, who has been charged in the scandal that swallowed the newspaper and several of its leadership team members.

Langdale did not reveal the name of the family member in open court, instead writing the name on a piece of paper and handing it to Law before asking if he knew the specific person was selling stories to the tabloid, the Guardian said.

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"I was made aware very recently there had been some kind of communication with this person and several others in and around the time, this period," Law testified. "I was never aware any money changed hands."

Asked by prosecutor Andrew Edis when he first learned money allegedly changed hands, Law said, "Today."

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