Molehunt spy cops face new inquiry

Police Scotland are bracing themselves for a report demanding an independent inquiry into their illegal hunt for Sunday Mail sources.

The Investigatory Powers Tribunal will tomorrow order the new probe into unlawful spying by the force.

The investigation, which wi l l be carried out by Durham Constabulary, will examine the molehunt launched after we revealed a forgotten suspect in the Emma Caldwell murder inquiry 11 years ago.

A source said: “Police Scotland have repeatedly tried to close the scandal down and put a lid on it. They have failed and this new inquiry will be independent and scrupulous.”

Three judges at a hearing in Edinburgh last month heard how the force’s Counter Corruption Unit (CCU) broke new rules protecting journal ists’ sources by failing to get a judge’s approval before targeting two former and two serving officers.

Their act ions were branded “reckless and unlawful”.

The force’s own QC said their molehunt was illegal, although the Crown Office have so far insisted no crime was committed.

In a letter to the Scottish Pa r l iament ’ s ju s t i ce committee, Police Scotland Chief Constable Phi l Gormley revealed staf f have made 24 complaints and 96 allegations against the CCU since 2009.