The Old Bailey has heard how the News of The World's Royal Editor — currently suspended from his job — and an associate tapped into hundreds of private phone messages of royal aides and that the motive was solely for "profit and personal gain".

Journalist Clive Goodman and private investigator Glen Mulcaire, a former professional footballer, are due to be sentenced after admitting conspiracy to hack into the private messages of aides working for Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry.

Presenting the case for the prosection, David Perry QC told the court: "The defendants' motivation was profit and personal gain and their conduct amounted to gross invasion of privacy and the abuse of the public telephone system."

When the judge overseeing the case, Mr Justice Gross, asked the QC how many phone messages had been intercepted between November 2005 and June 2006, Mr Perry replied: "Several hundred in total."

Continued the QC: "The purpose of gaining access was to gain confidential information with a view to it being published in the News of the World newspaper."

36-year-old Mulcaire has also pleaded guilty to five other charges of accessing the voicemail of other famous figures between February and June 2006. These include the phones of PR supremo Max Clifford, Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes and Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson.

According to Mr Perry: "The inference to be drawn is that he was also motivated by profit, seeking confidential information with a view to selling it to the press."

The Old Bailey is now hearing the final stages of the legal proceedings before the two men are sentenced.

However, the defendants may escape a prison sentence. Home Secretary, John Reid, has sent out a general directive to judges across England asking that they jail only the most dangerous criminals due to a prison shortage across the country.

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Name: M-M	Comment: Does the owner of NOTW , Rupert Murdoch bear any responsibility too ? Is NOTW the only Tabloid to use these methods ? It is all so out-of-hand