Here is a copy of the search warrant. The name of the detective who swore the information giving rise to the warrant has been whited out at Tall Bloke’s request. (Tall Bloke said that he had “promised anonymity” to the detective. I don’t know why he would do this, but he was the one surrounded by six detectives.) The information (affidavit) supporting the warrant doesn’t seem to have been provided to Tall Bloke so far.

The warrant entitles the police to enter and search the premises for “evidence of an indictable offence” referring to section 15 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. In its Climategate series, even the Guardian was unable to conclude that there had been a crime. So I wonder how the Detective Inspector came to the conclusion that the computers at Tall Bloke’s residence would provide “material that is likely to be relevant evidence and be of substantial value to the investigation of the offence”.

The warrant does not include “special purpose material”, which,under section 14, is said to include “(b)journalistic material, other than excluded material.” “Journalistic material” is defined in section 13 as follows:

13 Meaning of “journalistic material”.

(1) Subject to subsection (2) below, in this Act “journalistic material” means material acquired or created for the purposes of journalism.

(2)Material is only journalistic material for the purposes of this Act if it is in the possession of a person who acquired or created it for the purposes of journalism.

(3)A person who receives material from someone who intends that the recipient shall use it for the purposes of journalism is to be taken to have acquired it for those purposes.

In California, bloggers are legally included as journalists. I wonder what the UK situation is.





