MI5 to pay damages for surveillance of journalist's phone
MI5 and the Police Service of Northern Ireland have been ordered to pay £20,000 in damages to journalist Vincent Kearney for illegally accessing his phone records. This ruling is considered a significant legal precedent for the protection of journalistic sources.
Why it matters
Sets a major legal precedent regarding the limits of state surveillance and the protection of press freedom.
Image source, PA Media Image caption, This is believed to be the first time that MI5 has been directed to pay compensation to a journalist
Crime and justice correspondent, BBC News NI Published 23 July 2026, 14:30 BST Updated 1 hour ago MI5 and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have been ordered to pay £20,000 in damages to a journalist, after they illegally obtained his phone records.
Former BBC Journalist Vincent Kearney took a case at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) in London.
It is believed to be the first time that MI5 has been directed to pay compensation to a journalist.
Kearney was the subject of secret operations aimed at discovering his confidential sources while he worked at the BBC in Belfast.
In a statement welcoming the judgement, Kearney said: "I am delighted that the court has penalised those responsible for breaking the law.
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