Ex-'NOTW' legal adviser Tom Crone arrested in hacking probe

Tom Crone, the former legal adviser to News International's News of the World, has been arrested in south west London by detectives investigating phone hacking by the newspapers.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Operation Weeting probe into hacking detained the 60-year-old at his home at 6.45am today (August 30).

He was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept communications contrary to Section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977. He is currently being interviewed at a south London police station.

The arrest comes as part of a flurry of police activity this week around suspected criminal offences by members of the media.

Yesterday, the former editor of the News of the World in Scotland Bob Bird was arrested as part of the police investigation into alleged perjury and phone hacking around the case of former politician Tommy Sheridan.

On the same day, a 28-year-old man - believed to be former The Times reporter Patrick Foster - was detained on suspicion of hacking an email to unmask the identity of a police blogger.

The two journalists have so far not been charged with any offence.