Ex-BBC journalist awarded £20,000 after MI5 and PSNI unlawfully accessed phone data
Summary
A former BBC journalist, Vincent Kearney, was awarded £20,000 after MI5 and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) illegally accessed data from his mobile phone. A special UK court ruled the surveillance was unlawful and disproportionate, violating journalistic protections designed to safeguard public interest.Key Facts
- Vincent Kearney worked as the BBC’s Northern Ireland home affairs correspondent and is now RTÉ’s northern editor.
- MI5 and PSNI unlawfully obtained Kearney’s phone data between 2006 and 2018 during seven separate operations.
- The data included call and text numbers, times, subscriber names, and addresses, but not the content of communications.
- PSNI ran four operations and created a profile on Kearney, including car registrations and family members’ names.
- The Investigatory Powers Tribunal said journalists have legal protections to help them protect their sources for the public good.
- The PSNI Chief Constable accepted the ruling, apologized, and said the police have since changed their policies and practices.
- The case followed a previous ruling that found PSNI and Metropolitan Police unlawfully spied on journalists who exposed police collusion with paramilitaries.
- The BBC said the case raised serious concerns about journalistic freedoms and trust in public-interest journalism.
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