Three arrests in corrupt payments investigation

Three people, including a journalist from The Sun and a former prison officer, were arrested yesterday by officers investigating alleged corrupt payments to public officials.

The three were held following a series of 6am raids by Scotland Yard detectives as a result of information handed over by News Corp's standards committee.

A serving police superintendent from the City of London force was also arrested yesterday in a separate operation by the police watchdog for the alleged passing of unauthorised information to a journalist but there were no allegations that money changed hands. He was arrested as a result of information passed by officers on Operation Elveden who are investigating illegal payments to public officials. It is understood that the man was arrested by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

The 31-year-old journalist was arrested at his Croydon home on suspicion of conspiracy to corrupt and suspicion of conspiracy to cause misconduct in a public office. The former prison officer, 40, and a woman, 37, were both arrested at their home addresses in Corby, Northamptonshire.