𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

MI5 has agreed to pay compensation to a woman abused by a paid informant, as they apologised for their bungled handling of the scandal. The victim, known as Beth, was allegedly attacked with a machete by her former partner, a violent, ‘extremist’ misogynist neo-Nazi, who used his MI5 role to coercively control her, the BBC reports.

The intelligence agency has admitted giving false evidence to three courts over its handling of the man, known only as agent X, and confirmed it has settled a legal claim brought by the victim “without admission of liability”. MI5 Director General Sir Ken McCallum said: “We sincerely apologise to Beth for the distress she has suffered because of MI5 mistakes in this litigation. We relied on incorrect evidence and our record keeping fell well short of the standard of professionalism that we expect, and to which Beth was entitled.”

He continued: “We profoundly regret that our mistakes prolonged the litigation and caused additional suffering for Beth.

“MI5 has settled Beth’s claim and we have apologised to Beth directly.

“Prompted in part by Beth’s case, MI5 has embarked on a programme of work to reinforce the highest standards of record keeping and information management.”

Beth claimed her abusive ex-partner boasted about being a paid informant for MI5.

Shocking video footage published by the BBC allegedly showed her ex-partner attacking her with a machete.

But the BBC also claimed ‘X’ had previously been reported to police abroad about allegations of domestic violence against a previous partner.

And the corporation revealed MI5 had confirmed ‘X’ was one of their agents, shredding their claim that they never confirm an agent’s identity under a principle known as “neither confirm nor deny”.

Beth’s took legal action against MI5, claiming the intelligence agency breached her human rights by failing to protect her from agent X.

She took the case to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT). Judges ruled much of the case should be held in secret after MI5 said it does not confirm agent identities.

But the revelation that the intelligence agency had confirmed he was an agent to a journalist meant the case was going to be sent back to the IPT.

‘Beth’ said: “I am grateful for the compensation I’ve received but it can never do anything to repair what I went through at the hands of X.

“I’d pay that money so as not to have to experience even a minute of what I had to experience of the worst of his abuse.

“Unfortunately, I feel very strongly that, in spite of this apology, the MI5 are still protecting this violent misogynistic predator as for years now they have refused to answer any questions about him.”

Kate Ellis, Joint Head of Litigation at Centre for Women’s Justice, who acted for ‘Beth’, said: “A full hearing of Beth’s allegations would, in my view, have been highly embarrassing for MI5, who have already been heavily criticised for misleading the courts.

“Recruiting someone as an agent for our national security services affords them a degree of status, and protection. We have always maintained that MI5 did not adequately assess the risks of giving that status to someone with X’s history and his disturbing attitudes to women.

“Given all we have learned from this case, and the shocking evidence that is still coming out of the Undercover Policing Inquiry, I hope that the state will reconsider using women as a collateral in covert operations.”