London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

MI5 agent ‘abused and threatened’ ex-partner, BBC investigation reveals

MI5 agent ‘abused and threatened’ ex-partner, BBC investigation reveals

Story made public after an attempt by the attorney general to gain an injunction to prevent broadcast
An agent working for MI5 with a background in rightwing extremism abused his former partner and used his connection with the domestic intelligence agency to threaten her further, according to an investigation by the BBC.

The man – known only as X for legal reasons – is said to have terrorised the woman and at one point attacked her with a machete and threatened to kill her, as shown in a video captured on her mobile phone. “There was so much psychological terror from him to me, that ultimately culminated in me having a breakdown,” the woman said.

The BBC was only able to tell her story after winning a high court battle with the government. Suella Braverman, the attorney general, had applied for an injunction preventing X from being identified, while the BBC argued it was in the public interest to name a man who allegedly poses an ongoing threat to women.

In the end the BBC was blocked from identifying the man, a foreign national who worked as a paid informant for MI5 infiltrating extremists networks in the UK. But it was able to broadcast a film about him, released on Thursday.

MI5 has a policy of never confirming the identity of its agents or paid informants, although Braverman’s case was mounted on the “hypothetical assumption” that X was an agent. He has reportedly left the UK, and went on to work for a foreign intelligence agency.

His former partner, a Briton who the BBC has called Beth to protect her identity, said X told her she would not be able to report his abusive behaviour because of his work for MI5.

“It meant that I couldn’t speak out about any of his behaviour towards me, any of the violence I went through, sexual or physical, because he had men in high places who always had his back, who would intervene and who would actively kill me, if I spoke out,” Beth said.

During their time together, Beth said she was aware that X was having meetings with contacts, receiving payment and being given surveillance equipment.

Although X was paid to inform on networks of rightwing extremists, Beth said he appeared to share their beliefs. The informant praised white supremacist mass murderers and even said that he wanted to commit a similar act of violence.

Police did investigate the machete attack, during which X allegedly said he would kill Beth, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped the case as it came to court. Beth said the police did not take a full statement from or obtain the mobile video of the violent incident, where X tried to attack her with both the large knife and his fists. The police force and the CPS said the case was discontinued for lack of evidence.

X returned to their home and Beth said he continued to threaten her, claiming the security services would support him and that she was “nothing”. But gradually their relationship collapsed.

X became subject of another police investigation, which drew in counter-terrorism officers, after it emerged that he had had a private diary in which he allegedly wrote about killing Jews and kept Nazi materials. However, X left the country before the inquiry concluded.

A second woman, who had a relationship with X in the same foreign country before he came to the UK, also told the BBC that X was violent to her. The woman, who was given the alias Ruth, said: “He said he would be able to kill me and my daughter, too, and then put our bodies somewhere and no one would ever know who I am.”

Ruth had not met or been aware of Beth. She eventually fled to a refuge to escape X and said she was “psychologically broken” by their relationship. During their time together she remembered X kept a book contained lurid fantasies involving “eating children’s flesh”.

The BBC said it had established X worked for MI5 as a paid informant for years using various false names. “This is the story of a dangerous MI5 agent, which the government tried to keep secret,” it added.

In high court rulings, Mr Justice Chamberlain had said that alleging that X was an undercover informant would put his life at risk. He said the “experience and expertise” of the corporation meant it could make decisions about which details risked identifying X.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×