Man Remanded In Custody In Connection With PSNI Data Breach

Monday, 21 August 2023 15:37

By Caoimhe Harney

He appeared before Coleraine Magistrates' Court earlier today.

A man has been remanded in custody after being charged with possessing sensitive documents linked to a major data breach at the PSNI.

The personal data of all serving members of the PSNI was mistakenly published online earlier this month in response to a Freedom of Information request.

Details released included the surname and first initial of every employee, their rank or grade, where they are based and the unit they work in.

Today, 50-year-old Christopher Paul O'Kane from Dungiven in Derry appeared in court charged with possessing documents or records likely to be useful to terrorists and possession of articles for use in terrorism.

A PSNI officer told the court O'Kane was in possession of a spreadsheet containing the names from the data leak on a phone found at his Dungiven home.

The officer objected to bail based on the current heightened security situation.

Bail was refused and O'Kane was remanded in custody for four weeks.

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