£15m probe into Press and police finally wound up

... but only TWO reporters guilty

THE £15million police inquiry into payments by journalists to officers and other public servants finally closed yesterday.

Operation Elveden began almost five years ago following the News of the World phone hacking scandal and led to 90 arrests.

It became one of the biggest criminal inquiries in history but many consider it an abject failure, with a series of Old Bailey juries refusing to convict journalists of any crimes.

Of the 29 cases against journalists brought to trial, only one was convicted by a jury and experts believe his case will be overturned on appeal.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has been accused of knee-jerk reaction to the political furore in 2011 and a failure to rein in the inquiry as its progress waned. Last night the row continued as senior figures at the Met insisted its actions were necessary.

Critics highlighted the massive human and financial cost of the inquiry, which threatened to destroy dozens of lives as journalists were left languishing on bail for long periods. Detectives were pulled off murder squads and other units tackling serious crime as the cash-strapped Met racked up a £14.7million bill.

Most of the journalists were acquitted after demonstrating that the leaks, which included information about high-profile criminals such as the killers of James Bulger, were in the public interest.

Many of the public officials – mostly police officers, prison officers and Army staff – pleaded guilty and did not go to court. In total there were 34 convictions. A second journalist, Dan Evans, who worked at the News of the World and the Sunday Mirror, pleaded guilty.

The announcement that the inquiry is over came after a serving prison officer arrested last September was told he will face no further action.

Met Assistant Commissioner Pat Gallan said those convicted had leaked confidential information for ‘nothing other than financial gain’.

She highlighted how police had to ‘follow the evidence’ after News International handed over a huge cache of internal emails apparently documenting illicit payments.

‘Their actions caused irreparable damage to public confidence and it is right that they faced prosecution,’ she said. ‘ These were not whistle blowers, but people working in some of the most trusted positions in the police, prisons and health care, who were only seeking to profit.’

Gavin Millar QC said that while Operation Elveden was right to pursue public officials for misconduct, the prosecution of journalists ‘crossed a fault line’ because the cases could have been taken up in civil complaints. ‘If you look at the countries with the worst press freedoms in the world – Russia, China – these are the nations where criminal proceedings are taken out against journalists,’ he said.

He added that in many cases it was apparent to juries that those on trial had been ‘doing their job and acting in the public interest’.