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| Sun staff show support as deputy editor appears in court | Sun staff show support as deputy editor appears in court |
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| More than a dozen current and former Sun journalists turned out on Tuesday morning to give moral support as the paper's deputy editor, Geoff Webster, appeared in court to face charges in connection with allegations of authorising payments to two public officials. | More than a dozen current and former Sun journalists turned out on Tuesday morning to give moral support as the paper's deputy editor, Geoff Webster, appeared in court to face charges in connection with allegations of authorising payments to two public officials. |
| In a show of solidarity, Sun staff in attendance at Westminster magistrates' court in central London included the paper's former managing editor Graham Dudman, now director of editorial development at publisher News International, crime editor Mike Sullivan, news editor Chris Pharo, royal editor Duncan Larcombe, crime reporter Anthony France and deputy defence editor Dave Willetts. | |
| Webster was appearing on charges relating to allegations of authorising payments totalling £8,000 to two public officials for information for stories. | |
| The first offence involves allegations that between 4 July 2010 and 1 August 2011, he authorised payments totalling £6,500 to a public official in return for information supplied to a Sun journalist which resulted in seven stories. | The first offence involves allegations that between 4 July 2010 and 1 August 2011, he authorised payments totalling £6,500 to a public official in return for information supplied to a Sun journalist which resulted in seven stories. |
| The second offence relates to an allegation that in November 2010, Webster authorised a payment of £1,500 for information provided by an unknown public official. | The second offence relates to an allegation that in November 2010, Webster authorised a payment of £1,500 for information provided by an unknown public official. |
| The 53-year-old, from Cranbrook in Kent, has been charged with conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office. The charges came as a result of Operation Elveden, the Metropolitan police's investigation into alleged illegal payments to public officials. | The 53-year-old, from Cranbrook in Kent, has been charged with conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office. The charges came as a result of Operation Elveden, the Metropolitan police's investigation into alleged illegal payments to public officials. |
| Counsel for Webster, Geoffrey Cox, told the court that he found the charges against his client concerning. | |
| "To be quite frank, I found the charges profoundly disturbing at this late stage ... Mr Webster was engaged in nothing more than doing his job. | |
| "There is nothing to explain the reason why he has being charged. The only wrong that he has said to have done is to approve a number of payments in one case to an unknown public official," said Cox. | |
| He told the court that the prosecution had "not said what the payments were in relation to" and the stories that allegedly resulted were nothing more than "tittle tattle" and did not include "confidential material". | |
| Chief magistrate Howard Riddle ordered Webster, who is on unconditional bail, to appear at a further hearing on 12 April at Southwark crown Ccourt. | |
| Webster was charged last week and News International immediately issued an email telling staff it would support him. He was told to appear at a further hearing at Southwark crown court on 12 April. | Webster was charged last week and News International immediately issued an email telling staff it would support him. He was told to appear at a further hearing at Southwark crown court on 12 April. |
| At an earlier hearing in the Westminster magistrates' court on Tuesday, James Bowes, a former Sussex police sergeant, appeared in relation to charges of misconduct in public office between 9 April and 20 July 2010. | At an earlier hearing in the Westminster magistrates' court on Tuesday, James Bowes, a former Sussex police sergeant, appeared in relation to charges of misconduct in public office between 9 April and 20 July 2010. |
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