MI5 Under Fire: BBC Accuses Security Service of Repeated Deception Over Neo-Nazi Agent

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BBC Accuses Security Service of Repeated Deception Over Neo-Nazi Agent

 

MI5 deliberately and repeatedly misled the courts in its defense of a neo-Nazi informant who abused women, the BBC has claimed before a panel of High Court judges. In a case that has raised serious concerns about the integrity of the Security Service and the limits of government secrecy, the corporation argued that the threshold had been met for contempt of court proceedings to be initiated against MI5 and three of its officers.

 

 

Sir James Eadie KC, representing MI5, issued what he called an "unreserved apology" on behalf of the agency but maintained that "the errors that had been made had not been deliberate." Despite this, the High Court panel—including Lady Chief Justice Baroness Sue Carr, Dame Victoria Sharp, and Mr Justice Chamberlain—reserved judgment on whether the case should proceed further.

 

 

The dispute began in 2022 when MI5 attempted to prevent the BBC from publishing a report about the man known only as X, a violent neo-Nazi and misogynist who is alleged to have used his status as a state agent to intimidate and control a former partner, referred to publicly as "Beth." MI5 insisted in court that it had not broken its strict “neither confirm nor deny” (NCND) secrecy protocol regarding X’s status. However, in February, the BBC presented phone recordings and notes that showed otherwise.

 

According to the BBC, an MI5 officer had explicitly confirmed X’s role as an agent while attempting to convince a journalist to drop the investigation. This revelation directly contradicted previous sworn statements made by the Security Service in three separate court proceedings.

 

As a result, MI5 conceded in this week’s hearing that it could no longer maintain its NCND stance in this case. The fallout from this admission has far-reaching consequences, including the opening up of previously closed evidence that had excluded both the BBC and Beth from proceedings. Kate Ellis, solicitor for Beth, welcomed the development, stating, “It’s a huge outcome for Beth. She's had to fight this all the way to the High Court. This case has really undermined MI5’s credibility in the courts.”

 

Beth’s barrister, Charlotte Kilroy KC, echoed the BBC's argument, telling the court there had been “copious levels of dishonesty” in MI5’s handling of the matter—failures which, she said, were not fully addressed in the agency's own internal investigations.

 

Contempt of court, which can result in fines or imprisonment of up to two years, is a serious charge that applies to actions obstructing justice or compromising the legal process. The BBC’s legal counsel, Jude Bunting KC, asked the court to consider contempt proceedings not only against MI5 but also against three individual officers—one of whom directly confirmed X’s identity in a recorded phone call and another, known as Witness A, who delivered false evidence in court.

 

Bunting criticized MI5’s internal review, conducted by Sir Jonathan Jones KC, noting that it had failed to interview two key witnesses and that the explanations offered to the court “lack candour.” “There is a real concern,” he said, “that the court has not been given a full explanation of what went wrong.”

 

Sir James Eadie, speaking on behalf of the Attorney General and MI5, reiterated the agency's apology and insisted that senior leadership, including Director General Sir Ken McCallum, acted promptly once the issue came to light. “Everyone from the director general downwards acknowledges the seriousness caused,” he said.

 

However, Eadie maintained that the internal investigation had been "full and comprehensive" and found that while mistakes were made, “there had been no misleading or lying.”

 

The judges are now considering whether the case should move forward, in what may prove to be a landmark decision on the accountability of the UK’s intelligence agencies.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC  2025-06-05

 

 

[JonnyF]

BBC accuses someone else of deception. 😄

 

https://www.spiked-online.com/2023/09/08/the-misinformation-of-marianna-spring/

 

The BBC used to write some decent comedies. Now, they are the comedy. 

 

Time to defund these charlatans.