17Exclusion of matters from legal proceedings
(1)Subject to section 18, no evidence shall be adduced, question asked, assertion or disclosure made or other thing done in, for the purposes of or in connection with any legal proceedings which (in any manner)—
(a)discloses, in circumstances from which its origin in anything falling within subsection (2) may be inferred, any of the contents of an intercepted communication or any related communications data; or
(b)tends (apart from any such disclosure) to suggest that anything falling within subsection (2) has or may have occurred or be going to occur.
(2)The following fall within this subsection—
(a)conduct by a person falling within subsection (3) that was or would be an offence under section 1(1) or (2) of this Act or under section 1 of the [1985 c. 56.] Interception of Communications Act 1985;
(b)a breach by the Secretary of State of his duty under section 1(4) of this Act;
(c)the issue of an interception warrant or of a warrant under the [1985 c. 56.] Interception of Communications Act 1985;
(d)the making of an application by any person for an interception warrant, or for a warrant under that Act;
(e)the imposition of any requirement on any person to provide assistance with giving effect to an interception warrant.
(3)The persons referred to in subsection (2)(a) are—
(a)any person to whom a warrant under this Chapter may be addressed;
(b)any person holding office under the Crown;
(c)any member of the National Criminal Intelligence Service;
(d)any member of the National Crime Squad;
(e)any person employed by or for the purposes of a police force;
(f)any person providing a postal service or employed for the purposes of any business of providing such a service; and
(g)any person providing a public telecommunications service or employed for the purposes of any business of providing such a service.
(4)In this section “intercepted communication” means any communication intercepted in the course of its transmission by means of a postal service or telecommunication system.