A former council press officer who worked as a journalist for the Daily Mirror was formally acquitted of bribery allegations on Monday.

Greig Box Turnbull, who started working at Richmond Council in April 2012 and handled media queries about environment issues, had been due to stand trial at the Old Bailey alongside two others earlier this month.

However, a Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) review saw two charges of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office against Mr Box Turnbull dropped.

At a hearing on Monday, a lawyer for the CPS said that following a re-review of the case, it was decided that it would not be in the public interest to proceed.

Mr Box Turnbull, who lives in Morden, had worked at the Daily Mirror since 2004 before becoming senior media officer, based at Richmond Council’s headquarters in York House, Twickenham.

It was alleged Mr Box Turnbull had been involved in the payment of Grant Pizzey, a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh, and his partner Desra Reilly for information on prison inmates, some of whom were high-profile.

It was also alleged that Mr Pizzey and Ms Reilly pocketed nearly £20,000 in exchange for more than 40 pieces of information about prison incidents between December 2005 and January 2012.

All three had previously entered not guilty pleas but Mr Pizzey and Ms Reilly will still face trial at the Old Bailey in September.

Both face one count of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.

Mr Box Turnbull was employed by Westminster City Council, who put him on secondment to Richmond Council.

Neither authority wished to comment on his acquittal.

The CPS review came after the conviction of another journalist was overturned by the Court of Appeal.

In a statement Mr Box Turnbull said: "Nearly three years ago I became the first reporter to be arrested from Trinity Mirror, as Rupert Murdoch's betrayal of journalists and their sources crossed over into a second news organisation.

“However, I remained steadfast in my total conviction that, at all times, I had done my job professionally and lawfully as a hard-working journalist in accordance with the PCC Code of Conduct.

“My work exposed security failings, illegality and serious impropriety in British public institutions, revelations the government would have preferred to have withheld from the public.

"My stories were in the public interest and in a democracy one would hope that such information would never be suppressed.

"Investigative, probing journalism is a cornerstone of a free society. We should never risk Britain becoming a country where only the state-sponsored version of the truth is permitted.

“The impact of Operation Elveden has affected many areas of my life and that of others. But, with time, I hope the scars will eventually heal for everyone.

“The Met and CPS have claimed recently to operate independently from political pressure. I was one of the journalists to be subjected to an early morning raid by officers from the Serious Organised Crime Squad.

“After much public criticism, these raids ceased in favour of interviews by appointment for other journalist colleagues. This gives precisely the impression that these organisations are influenced by public pressure.

“It was clear from the outset of Operation Elveden that the Met Police failed to apply sufficient consideration to public interest journalism and the public’s right to know.

“This major lapse of judgement resulted in millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money being wasted, for which there should be a public inquiry.  

“Despite a long legal fight to clear my name I have gained strength from the experience and am firmly focused on the future, driving my career and life forward with positivity and maximising my opportunities.

“I'd like to thank my family, friends, colleagues, the NUJ and brilliant legal team who have fully believed in me and backed me throughout.

“My unrelenting support remains with the three journalists still facing trials and those who provided stories the public had a right to read."