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A former chief executive of Mid and East Antrim Council, Anne Donaghy, 56, from Dungannon, has been found guilty on two counts related to deleting or trying to delete an email with the intent to obstruct disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. As a result, she was fined £1,500. However, she was acquitted of a third charge involving a similar attempt to delete an email.
Aaron McClelland, who was also implicated and is from Portadown, faced a single charge of attempting to have an email erased but was cleared of that accusation. In response to the verdict, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council released a statement emphasizing that it would “carefully consider the outcome and any implications arising” from the court’s decision. The council reaffirmed its dedication to maintaining the “highest standards of governance, transparency and information management.”
The convictions against Donaghy relate specifically to an email she sent to the personal email account of then-DUP leader Arlene Foster. Conversely, Donaghy was found not guilty regarding a charge involving an email sent to DUP councillor Greg McKeen. Over the course of the two-day trial, neither Donaghy nor McClelland provided testimony.
Donaghy’s legal representatives from KRW Law have indicated plans to appeal the conviction, stating that they are “currently considering all options in order to set aside the judgement.” They stressed that their client “maintains her innocence of these allegations” and will “vehemently contest today’s findings.” Additionally, they argued that the conviction was based on a case not brought by the Public Prosecution Service, which meant Donaghy did not have the chance to defend herself against that particular claim.
District Judge Alana McSorley remarked in court that Donaghy was facing increasing political pressure when she instructed her personal assistant to delete the email sent to Foster. The judge highlighted the prosecution’s contention that there was a widespread perception that Donaghy was too closely aligned with the DUP, and suggested that Donaghy sought to weaken this impression by deleting certain communications. According to the judge, this perception formed the foundation for Donaghy’s decision to remove the message, leading to the “irrefutable conclusion” that her actions were intended to prevent information from being disclosed.
The origins of the case trace back to January 2021, when Donaghy sent a letter to the Cabinet Office in London raising concerns about controversial post-Brexit border checks at Larne Port. In the weeks that followed, she shared this letter with various DUP politicians, including Foster, who was serving as first minister at the time, using Foster’s personal email account. Shortly after, the council received a Freedom of Information request from Brendan Hughes, a journalist then with Belfast Live and now with the BBC, seeking correspondence related to alleged staff threats concerning the Northern Ireland Protocol. The council refused to release that information, citing health and safety and confidentiality reasons, and informed Hughes of this decision in April.
Two weeks later, Donaghy appeared before a Stormont committee where Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), including Alliance’s John Blair—who seemed to have a copy of the letter sent to the Cabinet Office—questioned her. Blair specifically asked why Donaghy had consulted DUP politicians but had not sought input from members of other parties. The prosecution referenced a “line of criticism” focused on Donaghy’s choice to engage only with the DUP to the exclusion of other political parties
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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