MI5 knew agent was misogynist ‘obsessed’ with violence, watchdog finds

The statement said: “The use of agents is fundamental to MI5’s ability to keep the UK safe. It is a difficult human job, subject to the law and tightly regulated by the Office of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner (IPCO).

“MI5 has procedures in place to address the risks involved in working with Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS), particularly where individuals may be at risk of harm, and these have been improved in response to what has been learned.”

Earlier this year, MI5 paid Beth compensation to settle her human rights claim against them. He did this without accepting any legal responsibility.

In her first interview since, Beth told the BBC she had been “gaslit” by MI5.

“They can’t be trusted because they already lied in court and painted me a certain way and made me feel like I didn’t have a voice or a valid story, but now they’ve done a 360 degree turn and paid damages.”

When the organization paid her compensation, MI5’s director general, Sir Ken McCallum, apologized for any distress caused by “errors in the case” but said it was about “record keeping” and refrained from directly apologizing for how she had been portrayed.

Beth’s barrister, Kate Ellis, of the Center for Women’s Justice, said: “The findings of IPCO’s 2024 report are nothing short of devastating for MI5. They show beyond doubt that MI5 knew of the warning signs that Agent

“We have seen no evidence that the safety of women was a consideration when MI5 chose to recruit this man despite his background.”

Beth said fighting the case was “absolutely debilitating at times because of the level of trauma and flashbacks it caused.”

He added: “I would like to see a full apology from MI5 for the way they portrayed me.”

Additional reporting by Lorna Acquah