Latest news with #Stakeknife
Belfast Telegraph
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Operation Kenova: Families of Stakeknife victims to receive reports following security vetting delays
Reports outlining evidence uncovered by Operation Kenova will be delivered to families of victims in the coming weeks, the Policing Board has been told following months of delays by the UK Government. Operation Kenova focused on the activities of the British Army agent inside the IRA known as Stakeknife, west Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci, who died 2023. Families of some victims were promised that they would be provided with bespoke reports outlining the evidence in the relevant cases that the probe uncovered. Head of Operation Kenova, Sir Iain Livingstone, previously expressed his frustration over delays in security vetting of the documents before their release. Sir Iain told a Policing Board meeting on Thursday that he received a letter from the Cabinet Office on behalf of the Government saying they were 'now satisfied' with the family reports. 'They are now complete and have been subject to security checking and in the next number of weeks families should receive those reports,' he said. 'I should reiterate that members of the team have met personally with families and verbally shared some details.' Sir Iain said 26 family reports will now be delivered to families. News Catch Up - Thursday 8 May They were passed to UK Government between August and October last year to go through security checking which was delayed until after a decision had been made on whether to lift restrictions on naming Stakeknife – a recommendation of the Kenova Interim Report. Operation Kenova investigated more than 50 murders committed during the Troubles and published an interim report in March last year which concluded that Stakeknife probably cost more lives than he saved. Currently Stakeknife's identity is protected by the Government's 'neither confirm nor deny' policy which is applied to protect sensitive information including the identity of agents. Members of the Kenova team previously met with Government to discuss the possibility of proceeding with family reports without revealing Stakeknife's identity.
Belfast Telegraph
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Restriction on naming Stakeknife ‘bizarre', agrees Chief Constable as he calls for greater transparency
Jon Boutcher gave evidence today to the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee's hearing on 'The Government's new approach to addressing the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland', where he repeatedly accused authorities of being too reticent to disclose information to legacy inquiries. The top PSNI officer agreed with the DUP leader Gavin Robinson's suggestion that 'it is bizarre that we're having a discussion about naming' the British Army's top agent inside the Provisional IRA during the Troubles, known to be the now-deceased former head of IRA internal security, Freddie Scappaticci. Mr Boutcher also warned that 'the lack of information being provided' on legacy cases 'creates conspiracy theories'. 'It's becoming pantomime and affecting the credibility of us as the security forces,' he said. 'I would hope the Secretary of State will see that. But he will be receiving arguments from lawyers saying: you can't name him, because that will have a chilling effect. I would argue strongly that it will not. 'Sometimes, you lose the right to have that sort of voice when you have failed to manage informants and agents properly, when they have behaved in the way they have behaved, which we set out in the Kenova report. 'There has to be a line around national. But we have prevented even uncontroversial information coming out. 'If [naming Stakeknife] doesn't happen, then I think that is the sounding of a bell to legacy not succeeding moving forward.' Mr Boutcher headed up Operation Kenova, which linked the spy to at least 14 murders and 15 abductions. However, when the interim report was published in March 2014, it did not confirm Stakeknife's identity, which is known to the PSNI chief. 'I cannot make his name public without official authority,' Mr Boutcher said at that time. 'So far, the Government has refused to give such authority.' Baroness Nuala O'Loan, the former Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, also gave evidence to the hearing and agreed that it was time to name Stakeknife. The UK peer argued that the state's failure to provide information was having a negative impact on legacy inquest and used the example of murdered GAA club chairman Sean Brown's family, who 'have been back in court something like 58 times trying to get information'. 'That is a scandal,' she said. Baroness O'Loan also called on the Labour Government to find a new approach to legacy issues, saying that the low number of cases brought to the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) 'is indicative of the fact that people don't trust it'. She said it should set aside a specific budget to deal with legacy issues, 'in particular to ringfence a separate legal legacy budget to cover all aspects of providing a criminal justice system to deal with the past'. 'The reality is our criminal justice system is quite profoundly broken. Rape cases are being listed for 2028 and 2029,' Baroness O'Loan continued. 'For victims, the horror of that situation. For those who are accused and are innocent, unless and until they are found guilty, that is also a terrible situation.'
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Report clearing MI5 over IRA spy disclosures branded ‘whitewash'
A report clearing MI5 over IRA spy disclosures has been branded a 'whitewash' by victims' families. Last year, MI5 files were accused of being deliberately withheld from an investigation into the IRA agent known as Stakeknife, who at one point was linked to 50 murders. However, a review conducted by Helen Ball, a former assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, found that no material was deliberately withheld from the investigation, known as Kenova. Kevin Winters, a solicitor at KRW Law, which represents 21 families linked to Kenova, said the 'risible' review was a 'whitewash'. 'When it comes to state accountability, conflict-bereaved families across the board are conditioned to being let down by the Government and its various agencies. He added: 'In many ways, they can rightly feel insulted that they are being asked to buy into the notion that filing and indexing issues caused a communication deficit between MI5 and Kenova.' 'Stakeknife', a notorious double agent, is believed to have been Freddie Scappaticci, a former bricklayer who worked secretly for the British Army while he was part of the IRA's Internal Security Unit (ISU), which tortured and killed suspected informants. Operation Kenova was a seven-year, £40 million investigation into Stakeknife's links to kidnap, torture and murder. An interim report found that during the Troubles 'preventable and serious crimes took place and went unsolved and unpunished as a result of steps taken by the security forces to protect and maintain their agents'. But a cache of documents was unearthed by MI5 in the months after the report which showed evidence that MI5 had been aware of the agent's existence decades earlier than it had previously claimed. Jon Boutcher, former head of Kenova and current Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable, said last year it was unacceptable that MI5 had discovered the material so late and that the files appeared to contain 'significant new material which appears to point to new investigative leads not previously known'. A review into the late disclosure was carried out at MI5's request by Helen Ball, a former assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, which said: 'I have not seen evidence of a deliberate attempt to withhold the material identified in 2024. 'Therefore, I have concluded that none of the material was deliberately withheld from Operation Kenova at either an individual or an organisational level. 'However, MI5's disclosure exercise drew on historic information management practices for Northern Ireland material which were not as strong in the past as those that MI5 had in place for its other material. 'This meant in some cases that material was not properly stored and indexed when it should have been, and in others that it was indexed in a way that meant its relationship to Kenova's remit was not recognised.' Ms Ball added: 'In addition, MI5's approach to the disclosure exercise was, as agreed with Kenova, to respond to requests for information provided to it. 'MI5 did not conduct a broader assessment of its own position in relation to Kenova's investigative remit and the material it might hold. 'Had it done, some of the material might have been identified earlier... So might it have been if MI5 had maintained stronger relationships with the Kenova team.' Sir Iain Livingstone, the current Kenova head, said: 'It is, of course, deeply regrettable that material was discovered and disclosed after the investigative phase of Kenova had concluded and after the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland had made decisions concerning prosecutions of the Kenova cases. 'The circumstances and relevance of the non-disclosed material will form part of the Kenova final report which is due to be published later this year.' Some 32 people, including former police, ex-military personnel and people linked with the IRA, were considered for prosecution on a range of charges from murder and abduction to misconduct in public office and perjury as a result of the Kenova investigation. The Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland found there was insufficient evidence to pursue any cases. The final Kenova report is due to be published this year. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Report clearing MI5 over IRA spy disclosures branded ‘whitewash'
A report clearing MI5 over IRA spy disclosures has been branded a 'whitewash' by victims' families. Last year, MI5 files were accused of being deliberately withheld from an investigation into the IRA agent known as Stakeknife, who at one point was linked to 50 murders. However, a review conducted by Helen Ball, a former assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, found that no material was deliberately withheld from the investigation, known as Kenova. Kevin Winters, a solicitor at KRW Law, which represents 21 families linked to Kenova, said the 'risible' review was a 'whitewash'. 'When it comes to state accountability, conflict-bereaved families across the board are conditioned to being let down by the Government and its various agencies. He added: 'In many ways, they can rightly feel insulted that they are being asked to buy into the notion that filing and indexing issues caused a communication deficit between MI5 and Kenova.' 'Stakeknife', a notorious double agent, is believed to have been Freddie Scappaticci, a former bricklayer who worked secretly for the British Army while he was part of the IRA's Internal Security Unit (ISU), which tortured and killed suspected informants. Operation Kenova was a seven-year, £40 million investigation into Stakeknife's links to kidnap, torture and murder. An interim report found that during the Troubles 'preventable and serious crimes took place and went unsolved and unpunished as a result of steps taken by the security forces to protect and maintain their agents'. But a cache of documents was unearthed by MI5 in the months after the report which showed evidence that MI5 had been aware of the agent's existence decades earlier than it had previously claimed. Jon Boutcher, former head of Kenova and current Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable, said last year it was unacceptable that MI5 had discovered the material so late and that the files appeared to contain 'significant new material which appears to point to new investigative leads not previously known'. A review into the late disclosure was carried out at MI5's request by Helen Ball, a former assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, which said: 'I have not seen evidence of a deliberate attempt to withhold the material identified in 2024. 'Therefore, I have concluded that none of the material was deliberately withheld from Operation Kenova at either an individual or an organisational level. 'However, MI5's disclosure exercise drew on historic information management practices for Northern Ireland material which were not as strong in the past as those that MI5 had in place for its other material. 'This meant in some cases that material was not properly stored and indexed when it should have been, and in others that it was indexed in a way that meant its relationship to Kenova's remit was not recognised.' Ms Ball added: 'In addition, MI5's approach to the disclosure exercise was, as agreed with Kenova, to respond to requests for information provided to it. 'MI5 did not conduct a broader assessment of its own position in relation to Kenova's investigative remit and the material it might hold. 'Had it done, some of the material might have been identified earlier... So might it have been if MI5 had maintained stronger relationships with the Kenova team.' Sir Iain Livingstone, the current Kenova head, said: 'It is, of course, deeply regrettable that material was discovered and disclosed after the investigative phase of Kenova had concluded and after the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland had made decisions concerning prosecutions of the Kenova cases. 'The circumstances and relevance of the non-disclosed material will form part of the Kenova final report which is due to be published later this year.' Some 32 people, including former police, ex-military personnel and people linked with the IRA, were considered for prosecution on a range of charges from murder and abduction to misconduct in public office and perjury as a result of the Kenova investigation. The Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland found there was insufficient evidence to pursue any cases. The final Kenova report is due to be published this year.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
MI5 ruled not to have deliberately withheld Stakeknife files
There is no evidence the security service, MI5, intentionally withheld documents from a major investigation into the agent in the IRA known as Stakeknife, a review has concluded. It was conducted after material was discovered in 2024.. Hundreds of documents were found by MI5 after Operation Kenova published its interim report into the activities of Stakeknife, who was west Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci. He was linked to at least 14 murders while working as an Army agent within the IRA in the 1980s. He died in 2023. The review was carried out at MI5's request by a former assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Helen Ball. A summary has been published by Operation Kenova. It states: "I (Helen Ball) have not seen evidence of a deliberate attempt to withhold the material identified in 2024. "Therefore, I have concluded that none of the material was, deliberately withheld from Operation Kenova at either an individual or an organisational level." She adds the material had not been properly stored and indexed "when it should have been". Some of the documents might have been found earlier had MI5 "maintained stronger relationships" with Operation Kenova. They were discovered when MI5 was digitising its Northern Ireland legacy archive. The review makes six recommendations – including that MI5 creates "an accurate timeline" of knowledge of and engagement with those running Stakeknife. Freddie Scappaticci joined the IRA in the 1970s and towards the end of that decade was recruited by the Army as an agent. Throughout the 1980s he operated within the IRA's so-called internal security unit - known as the "nutting squad". Its primary purpose was to identify informers, who were then kidnapped, tortured and shot dead. Scappaticci himself was implicated in multiple killings while at the same time working as a spy, passing on intelligence about the IRA. The IRA became suspicious of him in about 1990 and stood him and his unit down. He was unmasked in the media in 2003 and although he denied the allegation, he moved into hiding in England where he died in 2023. Army's top IRA spy 'probably cost more lives than he saved' MI5 finds new documents on Army's IRA spy Kenova wants government permission to identify IRA agent The Army's golden egg in IRA
