Sun crime editor will not face 'corrupt payment' charges

Mike Sullivan, the crime editor of The Sun, will not be charged over alleged corrupt payments to public officials after spending 14 months on bail.

Mr Sullivan, 49, was the 11th person to be arrested by Scotland Yard’s Operation Elveden along with three senior figures from the newspaper in January 2012.

He had been due to answer bail at a police station today over suspected “inappropriate payments”.

Mr Sullivan welcomed the decision yesterday but said he felt “sadness that colleagues are still in the same predicament over the last 14 months, but hopefully they will find a successful resolution”. The other three former and current Sun staffers remain on bail. They were arrested on suspicion of corruption, aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office and conspiracy.

A News International spokesman said: “We can confirm the police have concluded that no further action is to be taken against Mike Sullivan, the Sun’s distinguished crime editor.

“After more than a year of uncertainty we are pleased that Mike can now carry on with his work without this distraction.”

Sixty-one people have been arrested in Operation Elveden – 12 of whom, including four ex-police officers, six journalists and two public officials, have or will face court action.