News Group must pay Andy Coulson’s costs

Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson today won his appeal to have his legal costs over phone hacking charges paid by his ex-employer.

The Court of Appeal ruling will come as a huge relief to Coulson who had to sell his house in Forest Hill to meet the spiralling costs.

The former No 10 spin doctor resigned his editorship in February 2007 and sued News Group Newspapers over the wording of a clause in his severance agreement. He insisted that NGN, which stopped reimbursement in August last year, “must pay the professional costs and expenses properly incurred” by him “in defending allegations of criminal conduct” during his tenure.

A High Court judge had rejected his claim but today Lord Justices Laws, Sullivan and McCombe unanimously allowed his appeal. It is open to NGN to seek to take the case to the Supreme Court.

NGN’s lawyers claimed that the costs clause covered the “occupational hazards of being an editor” and not alleged criminal activity.

The judges were satisfied the terms of his contract “do cover his costs and expenses of defending the criminal allegations.”

Coulson was not in court today.