LONDON, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- A detective constable with London's Metropolitan Police has been charged with leaking information on the investigation into phone hacking.
The man, 51, was released on bail Thursday after being arrested at work and suspended from the force, the BBC reported.
He was part of Operation Weeting, the investigation of phone hacking by reporters with the News of the World, a Sunday tabloid recently closed by its owner, Rupert Murdoch.
"I made very clear when I took on this investigation the need for operational and information security," said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers, who heads the operation. "It is hugely disappointing that this may not have been adhered to."
News of the World staffers and a private detective working for the paper allegedly intercepted voicemail messages on cellphones used by celebrities, members of the royal family and victims of crime and terrorism. In the case that most outraged the public, the cellphone of a missing teenager was allegedly hacked and some messages deleted, activity that led her parents to believe she was still alive.
A man identified by sources as Dan Evans, 35, a former News of the World feature writer, was being held for questioning Friday, The Daily Telegraph reported. Another former employee, identified by the Guardian as James Desborough, 38, was released on bail Thursday, the BBC said.
