Ex-BBC journalist awarded £20,000 after MI5 and PSNI unlawfully accessed phone data

Investigatory powers tribunal ruled surveillance aimed at identifying Vincent Kearney’s sources was disproportionate and unlawful

A former BBC journalist has been awarded £20,000 in damages after MI5 and the Police Service of Northern Ireland unlawfully obtained data from his mobile phone.

A specialist tribunal on Thursday ordered the agencies to pay the compensation to Vincent Kearney for attempts to identify his sources while he was the BBC’s Northern Ireland home affairs correspondent.