Operation Elveden: Two former NHS workers arrested

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Two ex-NHS workers have been held as part of the Operation Elveden inquiry into allegations of corrupt payments to public officials by journalists.

A woman, 42, and man, 46, were arrested in Bridgwater, Somerset, on suspicion of conspiracy to cause misconduct in a public office and corruption.

Separately, a 26-year-old man was arrested in Surrey earlier as part of the investigation into phone hacking.

News International said the man was an employee but not in an editorial team.

He was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and taken into custody at a London police station.

The two former NHS workers are being questioned at a police station in Somerset. It brings to three the total number of ex-NHS staff to be detained as part of the Elveden inquiry.

Police said their arrests came as the result of information provided to police by News Corporation's management standards committee.

Three other people arrested by police on Wednesday as part of Operation Elveden have been released on bail.

Greig Box-Turnbull, 37, who worked for the Daily Mirror until March, a 46-year-old prison officer and a 50-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of corruption, conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to cause misconduct in a public office.

The prison officer was bailed to return to a London police station on Thursday.

Mr Box-Turnbull and the woman are due to answer bail at separate London police stations in October.

So far 39 people have been arrested as part of Operation Elveden.

Weeting arrests

The arrest of the man in Surrey is the 24th arrest detectives have made as part of the Operation Weeting investigation into phone hacking, which is running in conjunction with the Elveden inquiry.

Operation Weeting was launched in January 2011 following allegations that journalists at the News of the World had been accessing the voicemails of prominent people to find stories.

The Sunday tabloid was closed by publisher News International - part of News Corp - amid the scandal that followed.

Of the 24 people arrested as part of Operation Weeting, detectives have charged six people, including former NI chief executive Rebekah Brooks, with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

She denies the charges and is to go on trial in September.

The Met Police said 14 people remained on bail pending further enquiries and four people had been released with no further action.