Two men are in court, charged under the Terrorism Act for possessing data from a PSNI breach involving officer details.
Brian Cavlan, 49, and Rory Logan, 43, were in court and face a charge of collecting terrorist-useful information. The court is in Strabane.
The information included police officer details. Spreadsheets held data on PSNI staff. The two men stayed silent during the hearing.
Their defense lawyer stated many people downloaded the data. A mistake published data of nearly 10,000 officers in 2023. This happened after a Freedom of Information request.
The list had names, ranks, and work locations. The PSNI believes republicans accessed it. The data was online briefly.
A detective said they could link the men to the charges. The police arrested them on Tuesday under the Terrorism Act. This is part of a New IRA investigation.
Police seized Cavlan’s phone in April 2024. He did not share the passcode. The police accessed it and found the spreadsheets. The spreadsheets were in six places. Screenshots showed specific officers highlighted. The cyber crime unit reported this in January 2025. Cavlan did not talk to police.
Logan’s phone was seized in June 2024. He also did not give the passcode. The cyber unit found the spreadsheet came via WhatsApp. He saved and then he deleted the file. The info was sent to his wife’s phone. Police believe Logan uses that phone, too. Thus, he still controls the data.
A lawyer asked why police waited ten months after finding the data. The officer replied they needed the best proof.
The lawyer questioned if the data use was sinister, citing many shares across media. The officer agreed the data was widely shared.
But, they took deliberate steps with the data. Cavlan screen-shotted parts. Logan sent it to another phone he uses, the officer said. The officer said Logan’s wife isn’t involved. Judge Mullan found enough evidence to connect them to the charges.
Cavlan wanted bail, but it was opposed. The officer said he poses a re-offending risk, stating he has everyone’s names and positions. The lawyer countered police knew about the data for months, suggesting if the risk was real, they would have acted sooner.
He argued letting Cavlan free for months proves he will follow bail. His phone is gone, so he can’t access the data.
Judge Mullan found their silence “extremely concerning”. The charges are serious and they didn’t cooperate with police. The judge is concerned if they were released. The risks are real and clear. She refused bail due to possible offenses.
They must appear in court again on February 25.