A former weekly reporter acquitted of corruptly paying prison guards for stories has called for a “witch-hunt” against journalists to end in an interview with his former employer.

Neil Millard spoke out in the Croydon Advertiser, where he worked for four years before joining The Sun in 2009, after being found not guilty of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office following an eight-week trial at the Old Bailey.

Neil had spent almost three years on bail after being accused of conspiring with prison guards to leak information from inside Woodhill and Pentonville prisons, as well as paying a 999 police call centre manager a tip for an anti-terrorism briefing.

Speaking to current Advertiser chief reporter Gareth Davies, Neil described his arrest in 2012 while at home with his pregnant wife Sam.

Neil hugs his wife Sam outside court

He said: “I remember Sam in tears because they were going through her drawers and private belongings. It was extremely distressing for her.

“I was in shock, total shock. I’ve never been arrested in my life. I thought of myself as a pretty clean living, law abiding guy.

“They searched every inch of the house. Plenty of my colleagues also had their homes searched at some ungodly hour, but nothing retrieved in any of these dawn raids added to any of the evidence in court.

“Back in 2012 journalists were such fair game, [the police] just went over the top. We were being treated like murderers, drug-runners.”

Neil, 33, was acquitted alongside fellow Sun journalist Brandon Malinsky, and ex-Daily Mirror reporter Graham Brough.

The jury failed to reach a verdict on one charge relating to another Sun journalist, Tom Wells, although he was cleared on other charges.

They were investigated as part of Operation Elveden, the Metropolitan Police’s probe into payments to public officials which has led to 34 journalists being arrested – with just one conviction standing.

The stories published by them included tales of preferential treatment given to celebrity inmates and guitar lessons for child killer Jon Venables.

During the trial, Neil told the jury everything he had done was sanctioned by his bosses, and he had never been told paying a public official was “even approaching a legal grey area”.

He added: “As a journalist I am predisposed to people finding out how their money is spent, their country is run and what is done in their name.

“It’s obvious to reporters and it’s obvious to juries but not enough regard was given to the public interest by the police or the Crown Prosecution Service.”

Neil told the Advertiser he doesn’t know if he will go back to working in journalism, but has called for a “clean slate” at the CPS.

He said: “This was a witch-hunt from the beginning, by a police force and CPS that had been damaged by the phone hacking inquiry and needed to save face. Ironically they have done the exact opposite.

“I have no confidence in Alison Saunders. I think it’s time for a clean slate at the CPS.

“As far the police are concerned I would like to know how and why this was pursued in such a disproportionate way, and who was responsible.”