SDLP councillor delighted as motion to ban unauthorised sharing of crash footage moves closer to law

Inset: SDLP Councillor Malachy Quinn

SDLP Councillor Malachy Quinn has expressed delight that his campaign for the introduction of Caoimhé’s Law is continuing to gather momentum, with the Justice Minister and two Northern Ireland local authorities now pledging their support.

In October 2025, the Torrent DEA representative tabled a motion calling for legal restrictions on the sharing on social media of images and videos taken at the scenes of serious road traffic collisions. The motion received unanimous backing from councillors at the time.

The proposed legislation would make it a criminal offence to record or share images or videos of victims at the scene of a fatal or critical road traffic collision without lawful authority or the consent of the victim’s family. It would also become an offence to circulate such material before families are officially notified.

In addition, the legislation would outlaw the use of such content for sensationalist, exploitative or commercial purposes.

It would also be an offence to publish crash scene images without prior approval from the PSNI or relevant authorities, or to obstruct emergency services or interfere with rescue operations through the recording or sharing of such material.

The campaign for Caoimhé’s Law is named in memory of Caoimhé O’Brien, a young woman who died in a road traffic collision in October 2016. News of her death appeared on social media before some of her relatives had been informed.

Caoimhé’s mother, Marie O’Brien, is among a group of bereaved families behind the It’s Not Your Story to Tell campaign, which urges people to stop and think before sharing images or details of road crashes online. The campaign is being run by community group Road Victim Support Northern Ireland–Donegal.

Speaking at the January 22 meeting of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Quinn welcomed confirmation that Justice Minister Naomi Long has written to the council pledging her support for the proposed legislation.

Writing on behalf of the Northern Ireland Executive, the Justice Minister said:

“The issue you highlight is a cross-cutting one that involves a number of Departments and agencies.

“Given the extent of cross-party support, I would be hopeful that an appropriate legislative vehicle could be found to enact the legislative changes proposed.

“The Infrastructure Minister, Liz Kimmins MLA, and I are due to meet the ‘Road Victim Support Northern Ireland–Donegal’ group as part of a round-table discussion to discuss a possible way forward.

“I am grateful to the Council for taking time to consider Caoimhé’s Law, and for sharing the unanimous support of elected members towards the achievement of its aims.”

Neighbouring Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon (ABC) Borough Council has also joined the campaign. In correspondence to Mid Ulster District Council, it stated:

“This Council would support your Motion and has written to the NI Executive Office and Justice Minister to back the campaign for Caoimhé’s Law.”

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council also pledged its backing, writing:

“Newry, Mourne and Down District Council fully support your Motion, and the request that the Northern Ireland Executive and Department of Justice prioritise the drafting and introduction of this legislation as a matter of urgency.”

Speaking again at the January 22 council meeting, Councillor Quinn said:

“I just want to acknowledge correspondence from ABC Council and from Newry and Mourne in relation to Caoimhé’s Law, and their support of it, as well as the correspondence from the Department of Justice, from the Minister, outlining her support for Caoimhé’s Law as well.

“Just last month, we were up in Stormont and we listened to the debate.

“I was there along with yourself, Chair [of the Council, DUP Councillor Frances Burton], and Road Victim Support Northern Ireland–Donegal, and it was quite an emotional debate.

“There were some fantastic contributions from all parties, particularly one from Patsy McGlone [MLA], who had proposed the motion, and from Linda Dillon [MLA] as well, given her personal experience of the issue.

“And it’s great to see that everybody’s united. Hopefully this will carry on and we’ll get this made into law, if not this term, then the next.

“But it’s certainly something that seems to have reached right across the people of the island of Ireland.

“The amount of correspondence that has been coming in makes it clear that this is a law people want to see introduced.

“So, I just want to thank everybody in the Chamber once again for supporting it, and for taking it to the parties as well.”