Northern Ireland

Journalists to mediate with police over retained information

Trevor Birney and fellow film-maker Barry McCaffrey at an earlier court hearing. Picture by Hugh Russell
Trevor Birney and fellow film-maker Barry McCaffrey at an earlier court hearing. Picture by Hugh Russell Trevor Birney and fellow film-maker Barry McCaffrey at an earlier court hearing. Picture by Hugh Russell

Two Belfast journalists whose homes were raided are set to be involved in mediation over information retained on police systems.

High Court judges were told lawyers for Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey will take part in the process with PSNI representatives.

The attempted arbitration over the summer is expected to focus on any data still stored by the force, as well as the reporters' potential lawsuit for wrongful imprisonment.

READ MORE: Loughinisland journalist Barry McCaffrey says arrests left mark on himOpens in new window ]

In August 2018 Mr Birney and Mr McCaffrey were detained, questioned and released in a case linked to a documentary film on the Loughinisland atrocity.

Raids were also carried out at their homes and offices after warrants were granted as part of an investigation into the suspected theft of confidential papers from the Police Ombudsman's Office.

Computer equipment, files, phones, cameras and notebooks were all seized during an operation undertaken by detectives from Durham Constabulary, supported by PSNI officers.

In May last year the journalists won their High Court challenge to the legality of warrants.

Judges ruled that authorisation for the searches had been inappropriate.

They also held that Mr Birney and Mr McCaffrey had acted properly to protect their sources, in line with the National Union of Journalists' (NUJ) code.

Days later police confirmed they had dropped their investigation into the pair.

Even though all confiscated material was returned to the journalists after the search warrants were quashed, backed-up information remained on police systems.

Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan agreed to a further adjournment, with a final resolution hearing listed for October.