11 journalists in one day appear in court on charges relating to police payments probe

Seven journalists, three prison officers and one police officer have denied separate allegations relating to an investigation into payments made to police and public officials.

A total of 22 defendants appeared in court on Friday last week, 22 November, facing individual charges arising from the Metropolitan Police's Operation Elveden probe. In total, 11 of the accused are journalists.

During the hearings two public officials, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to offences related to the investigation.

Greig Box Turnbull, an ex-Daily Mirror journalist, Graham Dudman, former managing editor at the Sun, ex-Sun journalist John Troup and current reporters Nick Parker and Vince Soodin all denied conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.

Former News of the World crime editor Lucy Panton and Tom Savage, deputy news editor at the Daily Star Sunday, also entered not guilty pleas to the same offence.

Darren Jennings, an officer with Wiltshire Police, denied misconduct in a public office.

Grant Pizzey, a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh in south-east London, his partner Desra Reilly, prison officer Lee Brockhouse, who was based at HMP Swaleside in Kent, Scott Chapman, a prison officer from Corby in Northamptonshire and his ex-partner Lynn Gaffney all denied conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.

Four current and former Sun journalists also appeared in court for preliminary hearings. They were former deputy news editor Ben O'Driscoll, picture editor John Edwards and journalists Chris Pharo and Jamie Pyatt.

Alan Ostler, who was formerly an assistant technical instructor at Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire, and two more defendants who cannot be named, also appeared in court for preliminary hearings.

All of the cases were adjourned.