Met officer jailed for offering to sell data to newspaper

A top counter-terrorism detective was sentenced to 15 months in jail for trying to sell information to the News of the World tabloid.

April Casburn, 53, was found guilty last month of misconduct for phoning the tabloid and offering to pass on details about whether London’s police force would reopen its phone-hacking probe.

Judge Adrian Fulford, presiding at the Old Bailey, said the action was “a corrupt attempt to make money out of sensitive and potentially very damaging information”.

He said he would have sentenced Casburn to three years had she not been in the process of adopting a child.

While the tabloid did not print a story based on Casburn’s call and no money changed hands, Fulford said if the tabloid had accepted her offer, it was clear she would have taken the money.

Casburn admitted that she contacted the tabloid, but she denied offering confidential information or seeking payment.