A former Catholic priest is suing the PSNI because he was forced to resign from a job with the Policing Board after failing a security check. Kevin Kennedy, who is now a father-of-four and has been a civil servant for more than 25 years, was appointed as a policy and research officer in 2004.
But just two weeks after he started his job he was suspended on full pay and told he had failed the vetting process because of information police had on his brother.
According to a BBC report, the hearing at the Belfast’s High Court heard that the Policing Board was made aware Mr Kennedy had failed the check because of intelligence regarding his brother Dermot — a former Sinn Fein Westminster and Assembly election candidate who has never been convicted of a criminal offence.
In a court action expected to be heard in the autumn, Mr Kennedy alleges malicious falsehood, negligent misstatement and misfeasance in public office.
SIC: BT