Published Wednesday, 08 February 2012
A judge has granted anonymity to a former police officer on drugs charges. (© UTV)
The ex-officer wanted his name to be kept secret after failing in a judicial review challenge to being subjected to a PSNI misconduct hearing.
The former officer was to undergo the internal disciplinary process when he refused to submit to a drugs test.
The Public Prosecution Service is also considering whether to bring charges in connection with suspected possession of cannabis resin a month before.
He argued that he had been threatened by loyalist and republican paramilitaries and claimed he was at continuing risk from dissident republicans.
Mr Justice McCloskey found little evidence to support claims of a terrorist threat, but granted an anonymity order despite this.
The accused also said it was not standard practice for police officers to be identified in public, even if found guilty of misconduct.
Mr Justice McCloskey rejected this view.
He said: "If a police officer is a defendant in criminal proceedings or a litigant in civil proceedings or a party to fair employment or unfair dismissal or race discrimination tribunal proceedings, there will be a string presumption against anonymity, evidenced by a long established practice to this effect firmly rooted in the principle of open justice."
The judge held there was currently "scant particularity" in the terrorist threat claims.
But he decided it would go against judicial rules "for the court to invest further time and resources in perpetuating these proceedings in pursuit of this discrete inquiry and for no other purpose".
Mr Justice McCloskey added: "Accordingly, and with some misgivings, I accede to the applicant's quest for anonymisation."