Full Breakdown
Former Mid and East Antrim Council Chief Executive Convicted Over Email Deletion
8/29/2026, 11:37:00 AM
Conviction and Penalties
Anne Donaghy, the former chief executive of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, was found guilty of two offences under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act for deleting, or attempting to delete, an email sent to the private address of then-Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster. The District Judge Alana McSorley concluded that Donaghy intended to prevent disclosure of the information. She was fined £1,500. A separate charge of trying to have an email deleted was dismissed, and her co-accused Aaron McClelland was cleared of the single charge he faced.
Legal Context and Charges
The convictions relate to Donaghy’s request that her personal assistant remove the digital copy of the email to Foster. The prosecution argued that the act was motivated by a perception that Donaghy was “too close” to the DUP and sought to dilute that impression. The FOI Act prohibits the intentional destruction of records that may be subject to a request. The case also involved an earlier FOI request from journalist Brendan Hughes concerning correspondence about alleged threats to staff over the Northern Ireland Protocol; the council had refused the request on health- and-safety and confidentiality grounds.
Defense Arguments and Judicial Findings
Donaghy’s barrister contended that the deletion was driven by concern over a potential leak, not by any desire to distance herself from the DUP. He highlighted that the only email deleted was the one sent to Foster’s personal address, noting that if the aim were to distance the council from the party, all nine DUP-related emails would have been targeted. The lawyer also pointed out that a hard-copy version of the email existed in a locked cabinet, and that at the time of deletion there was no live FOI request. McSorley accepted the prosecution’s evidence that Donaghy acted to prevent disclosure, describing the conclusion as “irrefutable”.
Implications for Local Government Transparency
The case underscores the legal risks for public officials who interfere with records that may be subject to FOI requests. It also highlights tensions between political actors and information-access obligations in Northern Ireland, especially in the context of ongoing debates over the Northern Ireland Protocol and related security concerns. The council’s stated commitment to transparency will be tested as the appeal process proceeds.
