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Police Scotland told to pay journalist £10,000 over illegal intercepts

10 August 2016

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"Tribunal rules force breached freelancer Gerard Gallacher’s human rights by accessing his communications data.

Police Scotland has been ordered to pay a journalist £10,000 in damages after it illegally intercepted his communications data in an investigation into a botched murder case.

The investigatory powers tribunal ruled the force had breached the human rights of Gerard Gallacher, a former police officer turned freelance journalist, who had spent 18 months investigating a cold murder case in which a prime suspect had been released without charge.

Gallacher said he suffered “invasion of privacy, familial strife, personal stress and strain and loss of long-standing friendships” after detectives accessed 32 days of his communications data, ignoring clear court rulings to protect journalists and their sources."

See the article: Police Scotland told to pay journalist £10,000 over illegal intercepts (Guardian, link)

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