News organisations in the North have been ordered by a judge to hand over all unseen footage from riots in Belfast last month to police.
Judge Piers Grant ruled yesterday that the unedited material should be disclosed to the PSNI as it could aid in the identification of those involved in the trouble, which plagued Belfast over the Twelfth of July period.
Lawyers for media broadcasters had opposed the PSNI application due to fears it could heighten the risk to the safety of camera crews and reporters, as they could be seen as evidence gatherers for the police.
Broadcasters BBC and UTV said they felt they would be used as “an arm of the state” if police took the footage.