The Police Ombudsman has launched an investigation into a PSNI data breach that saw sensitive material relating to a businesswoman and her partner revealed to the loyalist Jamie Bryson, the Irish News understands.
The probe follows a complaint by Mr Bryson to the Ombudsman’s Office, made after he received in error a document containing information including the woman’s bank account and national insurance number.
Mr Bryson had sought a judge’s order for the PSNI to hand over material following their successful secret Crown Court application to access his bank account.
The unrelated information on the couple was mistakenly handed over by the PSNI, and in May the pair said they plan to launch legal action over the data breach.
They said the breach had left them “worried sick” their information may have been leaked to others as a result of police incompetence.
There is no suggestion Mr Bryson shared the contents of the document with anyone else.
The loyalist described the breach as a “monumental error” by the PSNI, saying it required an “independent external review”.
It is understood an investigations officer was been assigned to the case this month.
The incident followed other serious data breaches by the PSNI including the accidental publishing online of details relating to 9,500 members of its staff in response to a Freedom of Information request.
The Irish News approached the Police Ombudsman’s Office for comment.
