Fermanagh journalist Trevor Birney has held a private meeting with the Chief Constable Simon Byrne in which the police chief reiterated his apology to the journalist over his unlawful arrest in August 2018.

Mr. Birney who attended the virtual meeting with fellow journalist Barry McCaffrey who was also arrested by the PSNI commended Byrne who was not in office at the time of the arrests for his handling of the matter since the Judicial Review quashed the warrants which allowed the PSNI to search the homes of the journalists.

The PSNI agreed in December last year to pay the journalists over £850,000 in damages for their unlawful arrest over a leaked document for their film No Stone Unturned.

“Even if journalists are pursuing stories that police could view as uncomfortable, they should be respected for their vital role in a democratic society,” Mr Birney said.

He added that the criminal investigation launched by the PSNI had shown a “disrespect for us personally and for journalism generally” and that it was “an attack on freedom of the press”.

Mr Birney said: “We hope that police never again launch a malicious investigation into journalists in order to find their sources, but unlike in our case, the PSNI should follow the proper legal path of production orders, which provides journalists and news organisations the right to defend themselves in front of a judge."

The PSNI described the meeting as "constructive" at which the Chief Constable reiterated "his unreserved apology for the distress and upset caused to both men and their families as a result".