Charlie Brooks was "foolish" but not criminal when he stashed away porn DVDs and computer equipment in a car park, the phone-hacking trial has heard.
In a closing speech at the Old Bailey, his lawyer urged "common sense" over Mr Brooks, a horse trainer and husband of former tabloid editor Rebekah Brooks.
And he dismissed claims Mr Brooks had embarked on a "military-style operation" to hide evidence.
Mr Brooks denies a charge of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
He is one of seven defendants, including his wife - who edited the News of the World and the Sun before becoming chief executive at their publisher News International - who deny allegations linked to phone hacking by journalists at the News of the World.
'Not a clever plan'Mr Brooks, 51, has told the court he hid the porn DVDs to avoid a "Jacqui Smith" moment. This referred to the former home secretary's public embarrassment when it emerged that pornographic films had been charged by her husband to a pay TV account and then inadvertently claimed on Mrs Smith's MP's expenses.
Mr Brooks feared police investigating his wife for hacking would leak what they found in searches and cause embarrassment for her, the court heard.
His lawyer Neil Saunders QC asked the jury to consider the prosecution case for a "fairly complicated and military-style operation involving many people embroiled in a web of deceit".
Rather, he said: "The defence suggest if you use your common sense you may conclude this was not a clever plan but a man who made a foolish mistake to hide his property."
Mr Saunders said the computer equipment in bags recovered from the underground car park had not contained anything of interest to police.
He added: "We suggest the prosecution has been theory-driven and not evidence-led."
Brooks was 'foolish', not criminal
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