Tabloid journalist held in corruption inquiry

The man’s identity has not been revealed but he is understood to be a current NI employee.

The journalist was arrested at about 10.30am at an address outside London in connection with allegations of corruption and was taken to a south west London police station.

The newspaper publisher declined to comment. However, sources named the arrested man as Sun journalist Jamie Pyatt.

The arrest is the sixth to be made in connection with Operation Elveden, the probe into allegations that NI journalists made “inappropriate” payments to police.

The investigation was launched in the summer after it emerged that NI had given Scotland Yard documents indicating such payments were made.

Sir Paul Stephenson, then Metropolitan Police Commissioner, said in July that evidence handed over by the publisher suggested a small number of officers were involved.

The inquiry was launched as Scotland Yard also investigated allegations of phone hacking by journalists at the News of the World.

Police revealed on Thursday that the number of possible hacking victims now stands at close to 5,800. The current total of 5,795 is just under 2,000 more than the previous figure of 3,870 given at July’s Home Affairs Committee meeting.

Carol Caplin, who worked with former prime minister Tony Blair, is the latest celebrity to emerge as a possible victim.

A spokesman for the 49-year-old said she had recently been notified by police that her mobile phone messages were hacked by private investigator Glenn Mulcaire while he was working for the Sunday paper, which was closed in July.