Overview

• MI5 told the Investigatory Powers Tribunal it unlawfully obtained Vincent Kearney’s communications data twice and passed material to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
• The security service accepted breaches of Kearney’s Article 8 privacy rights and Article 10 protections for journalistic sources under the European Convention on Human Rights.
• The Metropolitan Police acknowledged obtaining Kearney’s data twice in 2012, storing it, and supplying some to Durham Constabulary in 2018, while Durham said it used the material on behalf of the PSNI.
• The PSNI conceded unlawful authorisations and use of Kearney’s data across multiple investigations, including the 2009 Pc Stephen Carroll murder inquiry and operations Erewhon, Samarium and Basanti.
• MI5 said it acted under RIPA in a national-security context, as counsel for the BBC and Kearney flagged late disclosure last week, possible challenges to secrecy practices, and ongoing legal action at the tribunal.