Three innocent people had their lives turned upside down after being falsely accused of downloading child abuse images – all because of a broadband wiring error by a BT engineer, a tribunal has heard.

The Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) was told that a mistake made years earlier inside a street cabinet caused internet activity from the real offender to be wrongly linked to an address occupied by two men and a woman. The error led Dyfed-Powys Police to launch a child abuse investigation against the trio in 2016, resulting in their homes being searched twice and their electronic devices seized.

The consequences were devastating. One of the men was placed on restricted duties at work after his employer was informed of an ongoing child protection investigation. Another had a job offer withdrawn. The woman involved was told by social services that she could not live alone with her children until the investigation cleared her name.

The tribunal heard that the accusations were “highly distressing” and had “serious consequences” for all three, who have since been granted anonymity. The location of the incident was described only as being within Dyfed-Powys Police’s “area of operation in Wales,” covering Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, and Powys.

BT told the tribunal that the issue stemmed from “crossed wires” – a rare technical fault that led to the real offender’s IP address being “misattributed” to one of the claimants, the registered tenant of the property. The error, the tribunal found, was not something the police could reasonably have foreseen.

Despite the distress caused, the IPT ruled that Dyfed-Powys Police had acted lawfully and appropriately throughout the investigation. The tribunal found no evidence of police misconduct, concluding instead that the error lay with the technical fault.

A spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police said: “We recognise the upset and hurt suffered by the claimants in this case, and commend them for the dignity, integrity, and full co-operation shown throughout.
We welcome the judgement which recognises that the errors discovered were no fault of the police, and all investigatory actions carried out by our officers were lawful, proportionate, and necessary.
Despite the difficult circumstances, we are satisfied that the party responsible for this error has been brought to justice.”

The tribunal heard that the true offender lived in “very close proximity” to the innocent trio’s home. Following their identification and arrest, a search of their devices uncovered indecent images of children, and they were later convicted of related offences.

Although the tribunal acknowledged the severe impact on the wrongly accused individuals, it ruled there were no grounds for compensation, as the police had acted within the law and responded appropriately once the mistake was uncovered.

BT described the wiring mix-up as an “exceptionally rare occurrence”. The telecommunications company has been contacted for further comment.