High Court to decide whether police can examine lawyer's phone

London - On Monday, 6 October 2025, lawyers representing human rights lawyer Fahad Ansari will be asking a High Court judge to issue an order prohibiting the police or anyone else from examining the contents of his phone, following his detention under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000. 

Ansari has issued judicial review proceedings against the Chief Constable of North Wales Police and the Home Secretary over the decision to detain him and seize his work phone containing privileged and confidential information relating to his clients. 

It is believed that this is the first time that Schedule 7 has been used to specifically target a solicitor involved in active litigation against the government. Ansari is also challenging the lawfulness of the power police have under Schedule 7 to seize anyone's phone without the need for suspicion. 

Ahead of the hearing, Fahad Ansari said: 

“Even the police agree that my phone contains sensitive, privileged information. All I am asking the court on Monday is to make sure this material stays protected until a judge rules on whether the police acted lawfully in detaining me and seizing it.”

CAGE International’s Head of Public Advocacy, Anas Mustapha, said:

“Schedule 7 is a perfect illustration of an extraordinary expansion of state powers, invading civil liberties by sidestepping legal protections. It’s an exploitative power that today, extraordinarily, is allowing the state to violate the privacy of a lawyer holding it to account.”

“Courts have repeatedly failed to claw back citizens’ rights undermined by Schedule 7. In this case, with the stakes so high, the judges ought to do more to defend civil liberties and the right to practice law without state harassment.”