First prosecution under Operation Elveden ends with conviction of police officer

DCI April Casburn, a senior police officer in the Metropolitan police, has been convicted of misconduct in a public office following a trial at southwark Crown Court.  It was alleged that she offered to sell information on the phone-hacking inquiry to the News of the World - the newspaper at the centre of the investigation.

DCI Casburn admitted that she had telephoned the News of the World and told a reporter called Tim Wood that Andy Coulson was one of four people under investigation. Casburn, a DCI counter-terrorism officer, claimed in her defence that she had telephoned the News of the World because she thought the public should know that officers were being seconded to the inquiry instead of 'saving lives'.   However, this explanation was not sufficient to prevent the jury from returning an unanimous guilty verdict.

DCI Casburn was bailed pending a sentencing hearing.