Former Sun deputy news editor Ben O’Driscoll has been charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office.
He is alleged to have authorised payments of at least £5,000 to public officials, including police officers and employees of Broadmoor hospital, for information.
O'Driscoll is the 14th Sun journalist to be charged under Operation Elveden, with one, Virginia Wheeler, having had her case dropped on health grounds.
He has not previously been named as an Elveden suspect and the Met Police has yet to reveal whether or not he has previously been arrested.
O'Driscoll is currently working as deputy news editor at the Daily Mail and colleagues there understood to be surprised and shocked to hear the news today that he had been charged under Elveden.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, the information he is alleged to have paid for related to details about police incidents and crimes, including information about high-profile individuals and people associated with them. It also included information from Broadmoor relating to the health and activities of patients.
The full charge reads: “Ben O’Driscoll, between 9 August 2007 and 11 January 2011, conspired together with journalists at the Sun newspaper and public officials employed by the police and Broadmoor secure hospital and others unknown to commit misconduct in a public office Contrary to section 1(1) Criminal Law Act 1977.”
O’Driscoll will be summonsed to appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 18 September 2013.
The CPS said: “Due to ongoing proceedings in Operation Elveden it would be inappropriate to say any more at this stage.
“All of these matters were considered carefully in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors and the DPP's guidelines on the public interest in cases affecting the media. This guidance asks prosecutors to consider whether the public interest served by the conduct in question outweighs the overall criminality before bringing criminal proceedings.”
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
