A former chief executive of Mid and East Antrim Council has been convicted of two charges related to the deletion of an email, an act intended to prevent its disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Anne Donaghy, 56, was fined £1,500. She was acquitted of a third charge alleging she attempted to have an email deleted. Her co-accused, Aaron McClelland, was cleared of one charge of attempting to have an email deleted.
The charges against Donaghy pertained to an email she sent to the private email address of the then-Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader, Arlene Foster. She was also cleared of a charge concerning an email sent to DUP councillor Greg McKeen.
District Judge Alana McSorley stated that Donaghy was under significant political pressure at the time she instructed her personal assistant to delete the email to Foster. The judge noted that a perception of Donaghy being too closely aligned with the DUP informed her decision to delete the correspondence. The court concluded that Donaghy's intention was to prevent the disclosure of information.