A freelance journalist from Golders Green has won his High Court battle with Greater Manchester Police after refusing to hand over material he used to write a book on terrorism.

The ruling, last Thursday, means that Mr Malik will not have to give the police all of the information he had used to write the book, Leaving al-Qaeda: Inside the Mind of a British Terrorist, which included an interview with terrorist suspect Hassan Butt.

Mr Malik challenged a production order issued by the police, risking a two-year jail term and forcing a judicial review by a panel of three High Court judges.

They ruled that although police were justified in issuing the order, its terms were too broad.

In a written judgement, Lord Justice John Dyson wrote: "A balance has to be struck between the protection of confidential material of journalists and the interest of us all in facilitating effective terrorist investigations. It is for the court to strike that balance.

"It is for the police to satisfy the court that the balance should be struck in favour of making a production order."

Lord Justice Dyson wrote that the case presented a "potential clash" between enabling the police to conduct terrorist investigations and the rights of journalists to protect his sources.

He added: "Important though these rights of a journalist unquestionably are, they are not absolute. Parliament has decided that the public interest in the security of the state must be taken into account."

Mr Malik and Greater Manchester Police will return to the High Court this Thursday in an effort to decide new terms for the production order.