Tom Little QC successfully defends Schedule 7 powers for the Police to demand PINs or passwords for electronic devices at airports and ports

Last year Tom Little QC successfully prosecuted Muhammad Rabbani, the Managing Director of CAGE, for an offence under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 following his refusal at Heathrow Airport to provide the PINs or passwords to his mobile telephone and laptop so that they could be reviewed. He appealed to the Divisional Court by way of Case Stated. The Divisional Court (Irwin LJ and Foskett, J) today dismissed his appeal concluding that Rabbani had been lawfully stopped and that the power to demand PINs or passwords without first determining if there was any confidential material on those devices was not unlawful, even though the Schedule 7 powers do not require there to be any grounds for detaining individuals and asking them questions.