Two more newspaper groups face police investigation over payments

Criminal investigations into British newspapers have widened to include Trinity Mirror and Express Newspapers, it emerged today.

Scotland Yard police chief Sue Akers said inquiries into the Murdoch media empire had uncovered evidence

suggesting journalists at two other newspaper groups had paid public officials for information.

The deputy assistant commissioner in charge of three inquiries into News International said that both Trinity Mirror, which publishes the Mirror titles and the People, and Express Newspapers, which produces the Express and Star titles, had agreed to co-operate with the Met.

Ms Akers told the Leveson inquiry that her officers had uncovered

evidence that a high-security prison officer was paid almost £35,000 by News International and journalists from the other newspaper groups.

She alleged payments were made via the prison officer’s former partner, adding that detectives believed another prison officer had received £14,000 from Trinity Mirror.

Ms Akers suggested evidence on the other newspaper groups came from the NI phone-hacking investigation.