Detective hired: reporter demands acquittal
In St. Gallen, a Blick reporter hired a private investigator in 2011 and obtained confidential information from police officers through him. He was convicted for this. However, the case is not yet closed. On November 24, there will be an appeal hearing.
In 2011, the Blick reporter had tried to obtain confidential information about two police investigations. One involved the arrest of a gang of youths accused of robberies. The second case involved the arrest of two cab drivers accused of rape. The reporter had hired a private detective, a former cantonal police officer. He used his contacts to obtain information about the youths and, in the case of the cab drivers, photos of two suspects. The private detective was paid 800 francs for the pictures, which were then published in Blick. It later turned out that one of the cab drivers pictured was innocent.
Reporter demands acquittal
On May 16, 2013, the District Court of Wil had sentenced the journalist to a conditional fine of 60 daily sentences for incitement to violate an official secret. The private investigator received a conditional fine of 240 daily sentences for the same offense. One of the two police officers who had passed on information was also sentenced to a conditional fine of 45 daily sentences for breach of official secrecy. The court rejected the cab driver's claim for damages of 30,000 Swiss francs. Both the policeman and the private investigator accepted this verdict. The second policeman did not appeal the penalty order. Thus, two cases are still open before the cantonal court on November 24: In the appeal hearing, the journalist demands an acquittal. And the cab driver demands damages and satisfaction. (SDA)
