Overview

• Angus McCullough KC was commissioned by the PSNI to examine covert surveillance of journalists, lawyers, NGOs and oversight bodies across the period from January 2011 to November 2024.
• McCullough says he was given full access to PSNI records, systems and staff, and received 55 evidence submissions, the majority from journalists and lawyers.
• The Investigatory Powers Tribunal previously quashed a directed surveillance authorization approved by former chief constable George Hamilton and awarded damages to filmmakers Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey.
• The PSNI and the Metropolitan Police conceded unlawful access to a journalist’s phone data in 2012–2013, and MI5 last week admitted unlawfully obtaining data on Vincent Kearney, though his case will not feature in today’s report due to ongoing tribunal proceedings.
• An internal PSNI report disclosed 323 communications‑data applications concerning journalists since 2011, including 10 seeking to identify sources, plus 500 related to lawyers, as Chief Constable Jon Boutcher signals a commitment to reform.