LONDON: Britain’s domestic intelligence agency MI5 and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have been ordered to pay compensation to a former BBC journalist after unlawfully obtaining his phone records, in a ruling that underscores the importance of press freedom and source protection.
According to media reports, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in London ruled that former BBC journalist Vincent Kearney, who now works for Irish broadcaster RTÉ, was entitled to compensation after his phone data was accessed without lawful authorization.
The tribunal ordered both MI5 and the PSNI to pay £10,000 (approximately $13,300) each to Kearney, finding that the unauthorized access amounted to a disproportionate interference with his privacy rights and the confidentiality of journalistic sources.
Kearney initiated legal action after separate proceedings involving two Belfast journalists revealed that authorities had unlawfully obtained journalists’ communications data.
In its judgment, the tribunal emphasized that the protection of confidential journalistic sources is a fundamental element of press freedom and that the actions of the security agencies breached those protections.
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Following the ruling, PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher accepted the tribunal’s decision and issued a public apology to Kearney.
Boutcher stated that significant reforms had been introduced since the incidents occurred, adding that both operational practices and internal policies had been substantially revised to prevent similar cases in the future.
The case has renewed attention on the balance between national security operations and the protection of journalists’ rights, particularly regarding the confidentiality of sources and freedom of the press in the United Kingdom.
