Judges rule MI5 will not face contempt proceedings over false evidence
Senior judges have ruled that MI5 will not face contempt of court proceedings over false evidence about an abusive agent, saying the case is too complex to manage.
How it was covered
- BBC One was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on the court ruling, MI5's admitted false evidence and possible police action.
- Channel 5, BBC Two, Channel 4, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
- BBC News and GB News: covered online, not found on air.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
The UK security service MI5 will not face contempt of court proceedings after senior judges ruled that the case is too complex for the court to manage, BBC News reported. The judges said only the police have the necessary powers and resources to take on such a case and that individual officers could still be investigated.
The ruling follows MI5's admission that it gave false evidence about an abusive agent to three courts. BBC News reported that the false evidence was based on a lie about conversations between its investigation correspondent Daniel De Simone and MI5. The lie was then repeated in two further cases brought by the man's victim, according to the BBC.
BBC News reported that MI5 initially denied the allegation when the BBC exposed it, but eventually accepted that false evidence had been given based on lies by its staff. BBC News also reported that an independent investigation ordered by the Prime Minister had reported earlier in the year and backed its account.
The Director General of MI5 repeated apologies in response to the ruling and said there had been serious failures by the organisation, BBC News reported. The BBC said it was waiting to see what the government would say and whether there would be a police investigation.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| MI5 will not face contempt of court proceedings after admitting it gave evidence about an abusive agent to three courts and accepted that false evidence was based on staff lies. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The BBC One bulletin focused on the legal outcome and the background to MI5's false evidence. It used its investigation correspondent, Daniel De Simone, to explain how the lie was repeated across three court cases and noted that police could still investigate individual officers. It also flagged the wait for a government response and possible police investigation.
- “The UK security service MI5 will not face contempt of court proceedings despite admitting it gave evidence about an abusive agent to three courts.”
- “The decision today was what the court is going to do about it, if anything. And the court's decided not to do anything itself.”
- “We now wait to see what the Government is going to say and if there will be a police investigation.”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 13:26 GMT
Security Service, UK security service
BBC News at One including · Tue 3 Nov
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.