Ellee Seymour

The country was quite rightly up in arms over the News of the World’s devious phone tapping exploits.

And now a local newspaper is equally indignant after discovering that Suffolk’s most senior detective obtained the private mobile phone records of a journalist without his consent in a bid to discover who he had been speaking to.

Journalists are fiercely protective of their source of information, they risk going to prison rather than revealing  his or her source, their reputation would be lost if they disclosed that valuable information given on the basis of trust and confidentiality.

Now it seems that if the police want to check out who a journalist has been speaking to on their mobile phone, then they can just go ahead and obtain the records without their consent.

This has naturally infuriated the editor of the East Anglian Daily Times, who has requested a full explanation from Suffolk’s Chief Constable. Reporter Mark Bulstrode only discovered his phone records had been obtained after making a request under the Data Protection Act.

Police have defended their action saying there was concern that the disclosure of information could have jeopardised an investigation into a serious crime, potentially resulting in an offender evading justice.

They obtained the phone records after the journalist approached the force with information about the reopening of an historic investigation. Despite the EADT agreeing not to run anything on the inquiry because of its sensitive nature, police wanted to know how they had found out about the case - so obtained the phone records.

However, it brought condemnation from Bob Satchwell, executive director of the Society of Editors, (my former editor at the Cambridge Evening News where he was fondly known as Captain Bob), who described it as “outrageous” and said he would be raising the matter with the Government. Shouldn’t there be a code of conduct which applies to this kind of action?

Local MPs are also disturbed by what  happened. South Suffolk MP Tim Yeo said:

“I have never regarded mobile phone records as being especially secure - having said that I think the police would have to show good reason why they should take this kind of action.�

 Chris Mole, Labour MP for Ipswich, said:

“It is not acceptable for them to go trawling through records on a fishing expedition without clear evidence.”

Reporters are bound to speak to their sources by mobile phone, but how safe is their source going to feel knowing that police can check up on the reporter’s phone records in this way? I wonder how commonplace this is, and whether a reporter’s emails are safe too from intrusive eyes, thanks to the skill of hackers. Does the digital age mean journalists can no longer keep anything secret?

A month ago I highlighted this very subject and asked whether we should legalise brothels. That very same message is now being endorsed by a local newspaper following the death of a prostitute from Ipswich, a young woman of 25, and the disappearance of a second prostitute from the town, aged 19.

A murder investigation has been launched by Suffolk police following the discovery of the naked body of Gemma Adams (pic) which had been dumped in a stream. She had been missing for two weeks.

There are also considerable fears for the safety of Tania Nichol, who disappeared from Ipswich more than a month ago. Detectives have said the disappearance of the two women, who were friends, had “obvious similarities”.

This terrible scenario has prompted renewed calls from English Collective of Prostitutes for legalised brothels to be set up. They argue it would stop women being forced to ply their trade in dark back streets.

An editorial in the East Anglian Daily Times has backed them saying:

“Legalised brothels take away the element of danger. The girls work in a safe environment, their sexual health is checked regularly, thus reducing health risk for their customers. It also removes red-light districts from towns.

“If this admittedly controversial change is not made, then more prostitutes like Gemma will meet violent deaths.”

If anyone else died while carrying out their profession, health and safety inspectors would soon be investigating, as well as police, isn’t it time that some measure of safety was also be offered to prostitutes?

Update: 5 December, 2006. The Times runs the same story.