'I knew my body and mind were shutting down,' detective tells court after PSNI data breach

A detective who witnessed the aftermath of a bid to kill his colleague Det Ch Insp John Caldwell feared he was set to be targeted, after a major data breach within the PSNI the High Court has heard.

The court is hearing claims for damages by six people impacted by the major data breach in 2023.

On Wednesday the court heard how the officer, referred to as MTB13, went into "freefall" following the data breech.

He had investigated paramilitary bombings, shootings and punishment attacks during a career stretching back nearly 30 years.

The data breach occurred when the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) accidentally released details of its 9,400-strong workforce in response to a Freedom of Information request.

MTB13 recalled having false number plates fitted to his car and being photographed on one occasion as he drove out of a police station and in a separate incident he was warned that if crossed the Irish border to meet an associate his life would be in danger.

Due to the level of secrecy and security measures required to protect his family, the father-of-two rarely socialises and never discloses his real job or allows photographs to be posted on social media.

"I essentially live a double life, people could have thought I was a plumber," he said.

The court heard he was among officers who attended the scene after Det Ch Insp Caldwell was shot.

MTB13 described arriving to find spent bullet rounds scattered on the ground around the vehicle, and then seeing an ambulance and trolley nearby.

"As I ran up they pulled a sheet over the gurney and I thought John was dead," he said.

"I had a decision to make, should I get in the back of the ambulance with John, but he would have sat up on the gurney (if he could) and told me to go and do my job, so I did," MTB13 said.

When the detective returned home the next day court heard his young son asked if "I was going to be next".

Within days, the boy disclosed that he wanted to get a pen knife to help protect him from any threat.

"I was gutted to hear that as a father, it was just horrendous," MTB13 told the court.

After the incident he divided his family and professional commitments into separate "silos" in a bid to cope, the judge was told.

The court heard the data breach months later further affected his mental health.

"It had always been me and my employers against the bad guys, but in this scenario my employer was the bad guy, almost bringing it to my door," he said.

"It was just absolute chaos, pandemonium… I was imploding and in freefall.

"I knew my body and mind were shutting down."

The judge was told the detective went on a family holiday to Portugal later that month in an attempt to put both the shooting and the data breach behind him.

At the airport MTB13 spotted a Belfast-based solicitor he had previously dealt with, who then ended up also travelling to stay at the same accommodation.

"We got to the hotel and he was in the reception area, it was like something out of a James Bond movie," he said.

"I kept out of this person's sight, took any identifying labels off our suitcases."

"In my head phone calls were being made from Northern Ireland to a dissident community on the Algarve and they were coming to get me. That's where I was at."

Due to his "ridiculous" fears, he alerted his movements and elevator usage in the hotel throughout the holiday.

It was acknowledged that his concerns over encountering the solicitor were completely irrational.

He was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, he said he "owes his life" to a therapist.

He continues to experience episodes of paranoia and anxiety, the court heard, while security installed at his home was likened to Fort Knox.

"I developed a real anger towards my employer, I couldn't see them far enough and it's a pity because I loved my job," he disclosed.

"If I had been responsible for a data breach I would have been taken over the coals, I would have been hammered."

The PSNI has accepted liability for the breach, but cannot currently fund the compensation bill.

The government has turned down a request for £119m made on its behalf by the Department of Finance at Stormont to address the issue.

The details were published on a website and later obtained by dissident republicans.