A former BBC journalist has been awarded £20,000 in compensation after a tribunal ruled that Northern Ireland's police force and the UK's domestic intelligence agency unlawfully obtained
his phone records.
The Investigatory Powers Tribunal ordered the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and MI5 to each pay £10,000 to Vincent Kearney, now a journalist with Irish broadcaster RTÉ. The tribunal found that both organisations had disproportionately interfered with his right to privacy and the protection of confidential journalistic sources.
Kearney launched legal action after disclosures emerged during a separate case involving two Belfast journalists who had been subjected to surveillance. The BBC joined the case as a co-claimant alongside its former reporter.
In its ruling, the tribunal concluded that the authorities' actions breached protections designed to safeguard journalists and their sources.
Kearney and the BBC welcomed the decision.
PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher accepted the tribunal's findings and apologised to Kearney. He said the force had already introduced "significant changes" to its policies and procedures since the incidents occurred.
Last year, an independent review commissioned by Mr Boutcher found that the PSNI had accessed journalists' phone numbers while investigating suspected information leaks by police officers and staff. However, the review concluded there was no evidence of widespread or systematic improper surveillance of journalists. Photo by KeysAMX, Wikimedia commons.
