UK Tribunal Orders MI5, PSNI to Pay £20,000 to Vincent Kearney

The UK’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal ruled that the security service MI5 and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) illegally intercepted the communications of journalist Vincent Kearney. The tribunal ordered each agency to pay £10,000, totalling £20,000 in compensation.

Kearney, who edits for RTÉ’s Northern Ireland service and previously worked for BBC Northern Ireland, was subject to seven surveillance operations between 2006 and 2018. Four of those were carried out by the PSNI, which compiled an intelligence profile that included his phone numbers, vehicle registrations and family members’ names. The judges – Lady Carmichael, Mr Justice Chamberlain and Stephen Shaw KC – stressed that special protection for journalists serves the public interest by safeguarding source confidentiality.

The decision highlights ongoing concerns about state surveillance, press freedom and the legal limits on intelligence‑gathering powers in the United Kingdom.