Two individuals have been charged under the Terrorism Act 2000 following their arrest on Tuesday. The suspects, identified as Brian Francis Cavlan, 49, and Rory Martin Logan, 43, were found in possession of spreadsheets containing sensitive information about staff from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
The data originated from a significant data breach in August 2023, when personal details of nearly 10,000 PSNI employees were inadvertently published online due to a Freedom of Information request. The documents remained accessible for several hours before being removed.
During a court hearing at Strabane Magistrates‘ Court on February 13, it was revealed that Cavlan had stored screenshots of the spreadsheets on his phone. Evidence suggests that the data had circulated widely before reaching the defendants. Logan was also charged with possessing the spreadsheets, with indications that he had them since June 2024.
Both men are scheduled to appear virtually at Omagh Magistrates‘ Court on February 25. Cavlan’s bail application was denied due to concerns about potential reoffending. A separate investigation involving two PSNI officers related to the incident is ongoing, focusing on fraudulent activities associated with compensation payments offered to affected personnel.
The PSNI has acknowledged the emotional toll of the data breach on its officers, with reports indicating over 50 instances of sickness absences linked to the incident. The breach has prompted some officers to relocate for safety reasons, while others expressed a desire to do so but lacked the financial means.
The incident has been described as one of the most significant data breaches in UK policing history, with far-reaching implications for officer safety and mental well-being.
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