LONDON: A Northern Ireland court has imposed a heavy fine on the police for illegal spying on two journalists to identify their sources.
The landmark ruling was made by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) in a case brought by Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney said that the Northern Ireland Police Service and the Metropolitan Police spied on two Belfast journalists.
The tribunal ruled that the police’s undercover surveillance operation was disproportionate and violated both domestic and international protections for the press.
As a result, the PSNI has been ordered to pay £4,000 to each journalist, marking the first time the IPT has awarded damages for unlawful police intrusion.
The covert operation, which took place in 2018, targeted a civilian employee of the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman, suspected of leaking classified documents to the journalists.
These documents were featured in the documentary No Stone Unturned, which exposed how police had colluded to protect loyalist gunmen responsible for the 1994 Loughinisl and killings.
The film revealed that six Catholic men were murdered while watching a World Cup match in the County Down village.
Reacting to the court verdict, Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey said that they believe the case reveals just the tip of the iceberg.
The pair said that their case highlights a deeper, endemic issue in the relationship between police and journalists across the UK, far beyond Northern Ireland where they are based.
