Government policy on naming agents facing further scrutiny

The long-standing police and security services policy to ‘neither confirm no deny’ (NCND) if someone is, or was, an agent, will come under further scrutiny if a proposed government legal challenge gets the go-ahed from the courts.

It was revealed this week that the government is seeking a judicial review in relation to an inquest into the death of a GAA official murdered by loyalist paramilitaries.

Sean Brown, 61, was abducted and killed as he locked the gates at Bellaghy Wolfe Tones Club in Co Londonderry in May 1997. No-one has ever been convicted of his murder.

At an inquest last month, Mr Justice Kinney complained that his ability to examine Mr Brown’s death had been “compromised” by the extent of confidential state material being excluded from the proceedings on national security grounds. A lawyer for the coroner has confirmed that some of those believed to have been involved in the murder were “agents of the state”.

Following the latest inquest hearing, PSNI chief constable Jon Boutcher said: “I am determined to work with those families impacted by the disclosure limitations of the coronial process. The Brown family, and indeed others, have been let down by the lack of a suitable mechanism to address sensitive information at inquests.”

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Brown’s daughter Siobhan said she was “absolutely disgusted” by the government’s legal challenge, and added: "We had a glimmer of hope that potentially there was going to be a public inquiry and that was something we were hoping would proceed”.