MI5 gave false evidence to courts about informant, report finds
A damning report found that MI5 gave false evidence to courts regarding a neo-Nazi informant who abused his partner, and the agency now faces potential contempt of court charges.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
MI5 is facing potential contempt of court proceedings after a damning report found that the security service gave false evidence to three courts while defending a violent neo-Nazi informant. The report, commissioned by the Prime Minister and conducted by the deputy investigatory powers commissioner Sir John Goldring, concluded that MI5's evidence was based on a string of lies and that the organisation was riddled with systemic failings.
The case centres on an agent known as Agent X, a neo-Nazi who used his role as a state informant to coerce and abuse his then girlfriend, attacking her with a machete. MI5 took the BBC to court four years ago to try to stop an investigation into the abuse, but the report found that the security service gave false evidence about having kept to its core secrecy policy regarding the man's agent status. In fact, MI5 had disclosed his status to a BBC journalist during phone calls in an attempt to persuade the broadcaster not to investigate.
The report stated that one senior MI5 officer repeatedly lied about what happened, and that these lies formed the foundation of MI5's false account to the courts. Another top officer misled colleagues, lied about what he was told, and bears considerable responsibility for the continuation of the falsehood. The lawyer for the abused woman described the report as "massively damning" and said it showed "really serious failings and really serious dishonesty".
MI5's director general, Sir Ken McCallum, apologised and acknowledged the seriousness of the failings. The Prime Minister said the findings were "stark" and that urgent action was being taken to hold MI5 to account. The High Court will now decide whether to bring unprecedented contempt of court proceedings against the security service, or even initiate a criminal prosecution. The case marks the first time MI5 has faced the possibility of such legal action in its history.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| MI5 gave false evidence in court based on lies, and the High Court may consider contempt or criminal proceedings. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West provided the most detailed coverage of the MI5 story, focusing on the damning report, the lies told to courts, and the potential legal consequences. The channel highlighted the role of its own BBC investigation in uncovering the abuse and the subsequent false evidence. The tone was factual and critical of MI5, emphasising the seriousness of the failings and the unprecedented nature of the potential contempt proceedings.
- “the security service MI5 may face contempt of court charges after a damning report commissioned by the Prime Minister into the organisation's behaviour found that it gave evidence based on lies to three courts while defending a violent neo-Nazi spy whose abuse was uncovered by the BBC.”
- “The report said that one senior MI5 officer had lied repeatedly, while another misled his own colleagues and lied about what he was told.”
- “The High Court will now have to decide whether to bring unprecedented contempt of court proceedings against MI5 or even initiate a criminal prosecution.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.