Sun publisher News International (now known as News UK) is an unscrupulous "copper's nark" suppressing evidence of corruption to save Rebekah Brooks and itself from prosecution, a court heard.

The Rupert Murdoch-owned firm is guilty of a cover-up by shopping junior Sun employees to the police to stave off the threat of corporate charges, it is said.

Nigel Rumfitt QC, defending The Sun's head of news Chris Pharo, launched a scathing attack on the company for sacrificing junior employees at the paper to save more senior figures like Brooks.