Stevens to appear at NI gagging hearing

Britain's Metropolitan Police commissioner John Stevens has been ordered to appear at the High Court in London as a key witness in a case involving Britain’s former top anti-terrorist agents in Northern Ireland, it emerged tonight.

He is being called by an ex-intelligence spy who is challenging a British Ministry of Defence attempt to silence him.

Freddie Scappaticci, who denies being the British army agent Stakeknife, has also been summonsed by Sam Rosenfeld, 41, who once worked undercover gathering intelligence on the IRA in the North and South of Ireland.

Outside the Royal Courts of Justice he said: “I want the truth. It’s time the truth about all this collusion was known.”

The case is due to be heard on December 17.

Stevens is in charge of the marathon inquiry into allegations of collusion between the security forces and republican and loyalist paramilitaries, and has confirmed he is to question an agent known as Stakeknife.

They have yet to meet.

Mr Scappaticci, aged 59, from Andersonstown, west Belfast, has categorically denied being the agent while heading up the IRA’s so-called internal security unit.

He claimed he quit the republican movement 13 years ago.

Mr Rosenfeld, then a building contractor in Northern Ireland worked for the British army’s Force Research Unit (FRU) between 1990 and 1993.

Defence chiefs are attempting to gag him to prevent damaging details being revealed about secret anti-terrorist operations.

A former intelligence agent know as Kevin Fulton and Martin Ingram, once a FRU handler turned whistle-blower have been summonsed as well.

Fulton has confirmed he will be attending.

Mr Scappaticci’s Belfast lawyer claimed his client did not know Mr Rosenfeld.

All witnesses summonsed to appear could be held in contempt if they fail to turn up.

Mr Rosenfeld claimed his partner lost their baby daughter a month before she was due to be born after a police raid on their home in Irvinestown, Co Fermanagh in June 1992.

He was not there at the time.

He and Mr Fulton, who is involved in a separate legal action with the British MoD, have claimed their military bosses reneged on an agreement to re-settle them with a pension after their links with the intelligence agencies ended.

The 1989 murder of Belfast lawyer Pat Finucane is one of a number of killings involving alleged collusion which is under investigation by Stevens’ team.

One man has been charged with the loyalist murder and files for the Director of Public Prosecutions have been prepared on several others, including former military officers.

Mr Rosenfeld claimed tonight the British MoD would attempt a cover up of details of their operations in Northern Ireland in the years before the IRA’s first ceasefire in August 1994.

He also said he had suffered British harassment for a decade.

He added: “Everyone has suffered, particularly families who have had relatives murdered in disputed circumstances. They need closure in the same way I do.

“Sir John Stevens who has been investigating collusion for the last 14 years is in a position to answer important questions.”