A former features editor of the News of the World, Mr Matt Nixson allegedly approved a bribe for a prison guard to gather information on the convicted child killer, Ian Huntley.
As previously reported, officers from Scotland Yard are currently conducting Operation Elveden which is an investigation into improper payments by journalists to police.
Intelligence of the alleged bribe came out of court documents filed by members of the News Corporation’s management and standards committee.
In an email of 7 March 2009, Mr Nixson allegedly instructed a reporter to pay the guard an initial payment of £750 and then “chuck her some more money later”. It is also alleged that he asked that the payment be arranged “very carefully” since the company had a “forensic new accountant who doesn’t brook any funny business”.
Mr Nixson denies the allegations. His lawyer said he wanted to make it “absolutely clear that he neither bribed, nor ever admitted to bribing a prison officer”.
