Damian Green-Similar leak case thrown out by judge

Scoopit!

The Times carries a report on the case taken by the police against Sally Murrerfor using leaked information.

The multi-million pound prosecution of a local newspaper journalist and the police source who “leaked” stories to her collapsed today after evidence gathered against them in a police bugging operation was declared inadmissible.

The 18-month-long case and investigation, monitored at senior levels in Whitehall, was thrown out when a judge ruled that police surveillance and search operations mounted to identify the reporter’s sources were a violation of human rights.

Judge Edward Southwell ruled there was nothing in the information allegedly leaked to Sally Murrer, a part-time reporter on the Milton Keynes Citizen, by Mark Kearney, a former detective sergeant, which touched on national security or serious crime and, therefore, the intrusive investigation by Thames Valley Police was unjustified.

The case has direct parallels with the investigation into Home Office leaks which led yesterday to the arrest of Conservative shadow minister Damian Green. Mr Green was detained on suspicion of aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office, the same offence with which the reporter was charged.

The case was thrown out. This case parallels the Damian Green case. Adam’s emphasis.

It calls into question the whole basis of the police decision to proceed against Mr Green. Further it makes one wonder why the Crown Prosecution Service proceeded with the case against Ms Murrer.

Note also:-

Miss Murrer was arrested three times, held overnight in cells and strip-searched as part of an operation by Thames Valley constabulary likened by her lawyers to the actions of the secret police in an authoritarian state.

Then this bizarre ruling by the judge:-

The judge rejected the evidence in the case in a judgment on Tuesday then, bizarrely in a case involving press freedom, barred the media from reporting it until the Crown considered whether or not it wanted to appeal. Sir Allan Green, QC, prosecuting told the court today that he would offer no evidence against the defendants and the charges were dismissed.

The judge found that although there appeared to be evidence of Mr Kearney passing confidential information to Miss Murrer, there was a huge amount of British and European law which afforded them protection as a journalist and source.

Thank heavens in this instance for the precedent because in a later comment it would appear the judge would have sent them to jail.

Just what is happening in Britain. It seems to have become a country where the police and government seek to ride roughshod over the populace.

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Cartoon for Today, Sunday 30 November

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Intimidatory tactics in Green Affair

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Abuse of Power