Two more Sun journalists charged by CPS in bribes probe

Two Sun journalists are facing charges over alleged payments of £30,000 to public officials.

Reporter Jamie Pyatt and pictures editor John Edwards have been charged under Scotland Yard’s Operation Elveden, along with former a former worker at Broadmoor mental hospital.

The trio have been accused of conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office.

The Crown Prosecution Service has alleged that the newspaper made payments of £30,000 to public officials over nine years in exchange for information for stories.

Leaked information included details of work carried out by a member of the Royal Family and about ongoing police investigations.

Pyatt was the first Sun reporter to be arrested under Operation Elveden in November 2011.

Gregor McGill, a senior lawyer with the CPS, said in a statement: “Following a careful review of the evidence, we have concluded that Jamie Pyatt, a journalist at The Sun newspaper, John Edwards, Pictures Editor at The Sun newspaper, and Robert Neave, a former healthcare assistant at Broadmoor Hospital, should each be charged with one count of conspiring together, and with persons unknown, to commit misconduct in a public office.

"In relation to the specific allegations in this case, it is alleged that over a period of almost nine years The Sun newspaper made payments totalling more than £30,000 to public officials including police officers, army personnel and Broadmoor officials, including Robert Neave, in exchange for information.

"It is alleged that the information for which The Sun made payments included that relating to the health and activities of Broadmoor patients, details about the work of a member of the Royal family and details of ongoing police investigations.”

Pyatt, Edwards and Neave will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on 18 July.

Nine Sun journalists have now faced criminal charges as a result of the Operation Elveden bribes probe:

On Tuesday, The Sun’s chief foreign correspondent Nick Parker w as charged on three counts of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.

It is alleged he paid a total of £2,650 for information which included details about the "movement of prisoners, prison procedures and methods used by prisoners to smuggle items into prison". It is also alleged that the same prison office sold information to Trinity Mirror's People newspaper for £900.

In November 2012, Sun chief reporter John Kay was charged with making payments totalling £100,000 to a Ministry of Defence employee.

On 22 January this year, Sun defence editor Virginia Wheeler was charged with making payments totalling £6,450 to a police officer for information. The case against her was dropped on 5 June on health grounds. Her barrister said she had planned to contest the charges.

Sun deputy editor Geoff Webster was charged on 20 March with authorising payments totalling £8,000 to public officials.

On 18 April Sun executive editor Fergus Shanahan was charged with authorising two payments to a public official totalling £7,000.

On 24 April Sun royal editor Duncan Larcombe was charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office after allegedly paying more than £23,000 to a soldier and his wife for stories relating to the Royal family.

On 14 May Sun Whitehall editor Clodagh Hartley was charged with paying £17,475 to a HMRC press officer for details about Government plans, including the Budget.