Invasion Of Privacy? Don't Combat It Here, Say The Police Pull Lords

When Patrick O'Neill was remanded inwards prison, his woman bring upwards (Mary Jane Wainwright) as well as his half-brother (Alan Wainwright) wanted to take in him. The prison theatre governor, who suspected that O'Neill was dealing inwards drugs, gave instructions nether the Prison Rules 1964 that anyone visiting him had to consent to a strip search. The Wainwrights reluctantly agreed but later on sued, alleging they had suffered emotional distress as well as (in Alan's case) post-traumatic stress disorder. The trial guess held that the search, non existence conducted inwards accordance amongst the prison's ain rules, was an invasion of privacy. Since the search exceeded what was necessary as well as proportionate to bargain amongst drug smuggling, at that topographic point was no defence forcefulness based on statutory authority. The guess gave damages to Alan for battery as well as to both Mary Jane as well as Alan on the dry reason that (i) it was a course of education of trespass to the somebody to inquire them to accept off their wearing clothing as well as (ii) they were entitled to relief against whatever sort of distress caused past times an infringement of the correct to privacy protected past times Article 8of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), although at the fourth dimension of the incident the Human Rights Act 1998 -- which implemented the ECHR inwards the Great Britain -- had non come upwards into force. The Court of Appeal did non concord that trespass to the somebody covered the illustration of someone who was induced to accept their wearing clothing off as well as which, inwards the illustration of Mary Jane, did non endure whatever recognised psychiatric injury. It develop aside the judgments inwards favour of Mary Jane as well as Alan, amongst the exception of the damages for the admitted battery to Alan.

The House of Lords dismissed the Wainwrights' appeal. First, they said, at that topographic point was no full general drive of activity inwards English linguistic communication mutual police pull for invasion of privacy. Douglas v Hello! Ltd (2001) QB 967, which was cited inwards back upwards of the suggestion that a privacy tort existed, was precisely a illustration of regular breach of confidence. Secondly, compliance amongst Article eight of the ECHR did non need the adoption of a tort of invasion of privacy: if a person's rights nether Article eight were infringed, the Human Rights Act 1998 provided a statutory remedy. Further, Article eight mightiness justify a monetary remedy for an intentional invasion of privacy past times a populace authority, fifty-fifty if no harm was suffered other than distress for which damages were non commonly recoverable -- but this did non hateful that a simply negligent human activity should, reverse to full general principle, give rising to a claim for damages for distress simply because it affected privacy rather than another interest.

considers that the notion of "invasion of privacy" is a fuzzy one. "Privacy" every bit a concept does non clearly distinguish betwixt the invasion of a person's physical privacy past times strip-searching as well as the communication to others of private information. Yet 1 is a affair of individual's personal integrity, the other a affair of restricting the circulation of data which may hold upwards personally sensitive or commercially valuable. Should the police pull process strip-searching as well as the publication of the details of one's depository fiscal establishment statement, for example, every bit activities which are dealt amongst inwards the same trend past times the same legal action?

Different aspects of privacy here, here and here
Privacy fetishes here and here
Smuggling into as well as out of prisons? Click here, here and here