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Two Belfast journalists have reached "agreement in principle" with police on all outstanding issues from the unlawful raids on their homes, the high court in Belfast heard on Tuesday.
Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey have been seeking to ensure no information is retained on the PSNI’s systems. A potential lawsuit for wrongful imprisonment was also explored following a ruling that warrants for the searches were wrongly obtained.
But it emerged on Tuesday that a final settlement is now close to being confirmed. It is understood the Policing Board has already endorsed the proposed resolution, with the deNorth’s partment of justice still to sign off on the terms.
In August 2018 Mr Birney and Mr McCaffrey were detained, questioned and released in a case linked to a documentary film on the Loughinisland atrocity.
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Raids were also carried out at their homes and offices after warrants were granted as part of an investigation into the suspected theft of confidential papers from the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman’s Office. Computer equipment, files, phones, cameras and notebooks were all seized during an operation undertaken by detectives from Durham Constabulary, supported by PSNI officers.
The case was connected to the No Stone Unturned film, which examined the Royal Ulster Constabulary’s handling of the loyalist murders of six Catholic men at Loughinisland, Co Down in June 1994.
In May last year the journalists won their challenge to the legality of warrants which were granted at an ex parte hearing. Days later police announced they had dropped their investigation into the pair.
Even though all confiscated material was returned to the journalists after the search warrants were quashed, backed-up information remained on police systems.