MI5 apologises and pays compensation to woman allegedly abused by agent | MI5
MI5 has apologized and paid compensation to a woman who claimed the Security Service was responsible for her being attacked and harassed with a machete by one of its agents.
The woman, known only as Beth, was in a relationship with a man who she said used his status as an MI5 agent to harass and terrorize her into silence.
It is alleged that the agent was used to infiltrate the far right and that his past history of violence against women was reported to a police force abroad.
He complained to the Investigative Powers Tribunal, which oversees MI5, and the agency, in an unprecedented move, paid compensation and issued a public apology as well as a more comprehensive private apology to resolve the case. He continues to deny responsibility.
The episode saw MI5 mislead three court hearings by claiming that they could not discuss anything about the agent’s alleged conduct due to the general policy of neither confirming nor denying (NCND) who worked for them.
But in 2020, MI5 broke its own policy when it privately tried to dissuade a BBC reporter from publishing Beth’s allegations. Although he had done so, he presented written evidence to three hearings that this policy could not and had never been violated.
It is still possible to prosecute MI5 for contempt of court, and whether MI5 made honest mistakes or lied in its statements is the subject of an inquiry ordered by the prime minister.
Beth told the Investigative Powers Tribunal (IPT) that the man who harassed her, known only as agent X, claimed he was protected and untouchable by the British state. His request for IPT was made under human rights law and the hearing was due to take place next month.
MI5’s misrepresentation of previous official hearings is being considered by the Office of the Investigative Powers Commissioner, chaired by Sir Brian Leveson, and is expected to produce a report soon. The high court said an internal review of the saga was unconvincing.
Beth said MI5 was still hiding behind a wall of silence: “I’m grateful for the compensation I’ve received but MI5 can never do anything to repair what I went through at the hands of MI5.” [agent] X. I would pay that money to avoid even one minute of his worst abuse.
“Unfortunately, despite this apology, I very strongly believe that MI5 has protected this violent, misogynistic predator for years and refused to answer any questions about him.”
MI5 specifically apologized for how it handled the court proceedings regarding Beth’s complaint. He has not publicly apologized for his agent’s behavior.
MI5 director-general Sir Ken McCallum said in a statement: “We sincerely apologize to Beth for the distress she has experienced as a result of MI5 errors in this case. We relied on incorrect evidence and our record-keeping fell far short of the standard of professionalism we expected and that Beth deserved. We deeply regret that our errors prolonged the case and caused additional suffering for Beth.”
“MI5 has resolved Beth’s claim and we have apologized directly to Beth. Partly driven by Beth’s case, MI5 has embarked on a program of work to strengthen the highest standards in record keeping and information management.”
Kate Ellis, Women’s Justice CenterActing for Beth, he said: “In my view, it would be extremely embarrassing for MI5, which has already been heavily criticized for misleading the courts, for Beth’s allegations to be heard in full.
“Recruiting someone as an agent for our national security services gives them a degree of status and protection. We have always maintained that MI5 did not adequately consider the risks of granting that status to someone with X’s history and disturbing attitudes towards women.”
“Given everything we have learned from this case, and the shocking evidence still emerging from the undercover policing investigation, I hope the state will reconsider using women as collateral in undercover operations.”
