A man has appeared in court charged with two terror offences following a major data breach affecting the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Christopher Paul O’Kane sat handcuffed between two police officers during the hearing at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court in Ballymena – and refused to stand when the charges were read out.

He has been charged with possessing documents or records likely to be useful to terrorists, and possession of two mobile phones for use in terrorism.

The court heard two phones were discovered in his bedroom when he was arrested on Friday.

Bail was refused amid concerns about the current heightened security situation in Northern Ireland, and he was remanded in custody for four weeks.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

A data breach earlier this month saw the names of 10,000 officers and staff published online in response to a Freedom of Information request.

Details included the surname and first initial of every employee, their rank, where they are based, and the unit they worked in.

Lucy Letby will die in prison after receiving 14 whole-life sentences

Lucy Letby: Parents of baby killer’s victims reveal their heartbreak in court

Parents of Lucy Letby’s victims finally given their voice – as harrowing statements detail their pain

Chief Constable Simon Byrne has confirmed that dissident republicans have access to the information, and said he fears it will be used to intimidate and target police.

The PSNI has recently suffered two other data breaches relating to officers’ personal details.

Missing sections of a PSNI notebook that fell from a moving car on the M2 in Belfast contained details of 42 officers and staff. The sections have not been recovered.

In a separate incident, a document containing the names of officers and staff was stolen along with a police-issue laptop from an officer’s car on 6 July.

Related posts:

Numbers waiting a year for hospital treatment hit new high amid COVID crisis Herd immunity ‘not a possibility’ with Delta variant, says vaccines expert ‘Utterly devastated’: Father of four boys who died in house fire speaks of ‘tragic loss’ UK reports 76,807 new coronavirus cases and 297 more deaths ‘Not the right way forward’: Calls to delay compulsory COVID-19 vaccines for NHS staff More events revealed as country prepares to celebrate Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Biggest rail strike in three decades to go ahead as last-ditch talks fail Mother and partner found guilty of murdering her 15-year-old son after torture campaign Prince Harry wins bid to bring High Court challenge against the Home Office Russian submarines tracked by Royal Navy in North Sea Johnson’s partygate case may be published today ahead of showdown that could decide future Teenager charged in connection with death of man in street