Senior detective charged for offering information to NoW
A senior detective at the Metropolitan police is charged with offering information to the News of the World newspaper.
Detective Chief Inspector April Casburn stands accused of offering information to the now defunct tabloid the News of the World in September 2010, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
She is due to appear at Westminster magistrates court on Monday 1 October.
Principal legal adviser Alison Levitt QC said the charges were based on evidence which emerged from Operation Elveden, an investigation into alleged corrupt payments to officials that has so far seen 50 arrests.
“The CPS received a file of evidence from the Metropolitan police service which arose from Operation Elveden in relation to April Casburn,” said the QC.
Ms Casburn is a detective chief inspector in specialist operations within the Metropolitan police service.
The DCI faces an allegation that on 11 September 2010 “being a public officer, and acting as such, without reasonable excuse or justification, wilfully misconducted herself to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust in that office”.
“We have concluded, having carefully considered the file of evidence, that there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and that it is in the public interest to charge DCI Casburn with misconduct in public office,” said Ms Levitt.
She added: “May I remind all concerned that DCI Casburn is now charged with a criminal offence and has a right to a fair trial. It is very important that nothing is said, or reported, which could prejudice that trial. For these reasons it would be inappropriate for me to comment.”
