Former BBC journalist awarded £20,000 over unlawful MI5 surveillance

Vincent Kearney, now RTÉ’s Northern Editor, brought proceedings before the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) after it emerged that police and security agencies had covertly accessed his communications data. MI5 admitted breaching his rights during the case, while the PSNI and Metropolitan Police also made concessions.

In a judgment delivered yesterday, the tribunal awarded Mr Kearney £10,000 against MI5 and £10,000 against the PSNI, finding “no reason to distinguish between the conduct” of the two organisations.

Ms Justice Ailsa Jane Carmichael, Mr Justice Martin Chamberlain and Stephen Shaw KC said: “The interferences in this case were numerous, and took place over a period of years.”

They added: “The heightened protection provided to journalists is not for the benefit of the journalist personally, but for the public interest in the ability of his readers or audience to receive information from him.”

Mr Kearney said the ruling was “a tremendous victory for journalism and an affirmation of the duty and legal rights of journalists to protect sources”.

RTÉ’s managing director of news and current affairs, Deirdre McCarthy, said the findings were “of deep concern” and warned that undermining legal protections for journalists’ sources damages public trust and democracy.

The tribunal previously heard there were seven separate operations between 2006 and 2018 in which police or MI5 unlawfully obtained Mr Kearney’s confidential communications data. Evidence showed the PSNI compiled a detailed profile of the journalist, including his personal details, family information and an extensive review of his published work.