MI5 will not face contempt of court charges despite admitting its evidence was a lie
MI5 chief Sir Ken McCallum welcomed the court's decision, and says its judgment "underlines MI5's serious failures in this case".
The Intelligence and Security Committee, comprised of senior judges, has ruled that MI5 and its staff will not face contempt of court proceedings, despite admitting to providing false evidence to three courts. Lady Chief Justice Baroness Sue Carr, along with other judges, stated that a contempt case would be too complex for the court to manage, and not in the public interest to proceed.
MI5 admitted to providing false evidence in a case involving an abusive informant, Agent X, which included conversations between MI5 and the BBC. MI5's chief, Sir Ken McCallum, welcomed the court's decision and expressed regret for the failures. An investigation by Sir John Goldring concluded that two senior MI5 officers lied, with one resigning and the other facing internal disciplinary proceedings.
The watchdog's boss, Lord Leveson, described the case as seriously flawed. Despite this, the high court decided not to take further action against MI5 or the two officers, suggesting instead that the police, with their investigatory powers and resources, should handle the matter, followed by a decision from the Crown Prosecution Service on potential prosecution.
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