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Two journalists wrongly detained for material that appeared in a documentary about a loyal firearm attack during the riots have solved their case against the Northern Ireland Police Service.
It is understood that the PSNI agreed to pay damages to Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey and to remove the material seized when agents raided their homes and offices in August 2018.
The deal was announced during a brief hearing in Belfast High Court this morning.
McCaffrey and Birney were arrested for the alleged theft of a police surveillance document that appeared in their film No Stone Unturned about the Loughinisland Massacre.
Last year, judges ruled that the search warrants used by the police to search the journalists’ home and their offices at Fine Point Films were “inappropriate.”
This resulted in the criminal investigation of the journalists being suspended.
The original police operation had been carried out by the Durham police at the request of the PSNI amid concerns about conflicts of interest.
It is understood that the PSNI has agreed to pay £ 875,000 (€ 978,000).
The total includes £ 600,000 for Fine Point Films, £ 150,000 for Mr. Birney and £ 125,000 for Mr. McCaffrey.
In July, PSNI Police Chief Simon Byrne fully apologized to the two journalists.
Read more:
PSNI chief apologizes to journalists Birney and McCaffrey
Journalists Recover Documents and Equipment After PSNI Case Dropped
The journalists acted appropriately before the sources of protest, says the judge
Reacting to the agreement, Mr. Birney said: “Today marks the end of the legal process that I began in a police cell on August 31, 2018 after being arrested and my home and offices raided by dozens of PSNI police and Durham.
“We launched a Judicial Review of the PSNI’s most atrocious attack on journalism to protect our journalism, our sources and the freedom of the press itself.”
He added: “For the past two years, the PSNI fought our attempts to protect our journalism and our sources every step of the way.
“They tried to defend their indefensible attack on press freedom until the sentence handed down by the president of the Supreme Court in July this year.
“We have welcomed the current police chief’s apology for the actions of the PSNI. His predecessor George Hamilton, under whose leadership the PSNI arrested us, has not received any such apology.
“Journalists in this jurisdiction now need to see Simon Byrne take all necessary steps to ensure accountability for the despicable PSNI attack on press freedom and assure the press that lessons have been learned.”
McCaffrey said “it’s a relief it’s finally over,” but questioned why the PSNI had taken so long to resolve the case.
“All of this has cost the state millions. Millions of pounds wasted for what? This could have been spent on Covid and people in hospitals, but someone within the PSNI decided that the public money, millions of pounds of public money, was going to be wasted Who is going to be held accountable?
“I support policing, we support proper policing, but these were the dark arts. These were the dark forces. This was an attack on freedom of the press. And, from what we can see, those people have been allowed to escape.
“The President of the Supreme Court vindicated us. He cleared our names and we are very happy about that, but the people who did this to us and attacked the Fourth Estate and press freedom have been allowed to escape.
“We believe that the Police Board should investigate this.”
The Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Declan Morgan, welcomed the fact that an agreement had been reached between the parties.
“We congratulate the parties for finding an answer to this interesting and difficult, but also important case,” he told lawyers at the Belfast High Court.
A PSNI spokesperson said: “The Northern Ireland Police Service is pleased that these matters have been
concluded “.
Amnesty International, which supported the journalists’ campaign, said the agreement represented a victory for press freedom.
Patrick Corrigan of the organization said the Oversight Board should investigate the episode so that lessons can be learned.
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