Two freed in hacking payments inquiry

A police officer and a journalist have been released on bail after being arrested by officers investigating corrupt payments to public officials, Scotland Yard said.

The 29-year-old serving officer with Sussex Police was arrested at his home in the county and a 37-year-old journalist was held at his home in north London this morning.

They bring the number of arrests under the Metropolitan Police's Operation Elveden, which is investigating allegations of inappropriate payments to police and public officials, to 43.

The journalist was held at about 6am on suspicion of conspiracy to corrupt and conspiracy to cause misconduct in a public office. He was taken to a north London police station and later released on bail until November.

The police officer was held at about the same time on suspicion of conspiracy to corrupt, conspiracy to cause misconduct in a public office, and misconduct in a public office. He was taken to a police station in south London and will also answer bail in November.

A Yard spokesman said: "Today's arrests are the result of information provided to police by News Corporation's Management Standards Committee.

"They relate to suspected payments to a police officer and are not about seeking journalists to reveal confidential sources in relation to information that has been obtained legitimately."

Operation Elveden is being supervised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission and is running in conjunction with Operation Weeting, the Met's inquiry into phone hacking.

PA