Arena atrocity families challenge special deal for spy-boss witness

MI5 CHIEF SET TO GIVE EVIDENCE FROM BEHIND SCREENS

FAMILIES of the victims of the Manchester Arena terror attack have opposed a move to allow a high-ranking MI5 official to give evidence behind screens at the independent inquiry to be held later this year.

Only the chairman of the inquiry Sir John Saunders and his lead counsel would be able to see him under the proposal.

Neither the families, their lawyers nor the press or public would be able to see him because of concerns for his safety if he were to be seen.

The chairman of the inquiry has been asked to protect the identity of two witnesses, a police tactical firearms adviser known only as F1 and an MI5 witness, a director general known as Witness J.

No objection has been made over proposals to anonymise these witnesses but the plan to allow the MI5 witness to give evidence from behind screens has been strongly opposed.

Counsel to the inquiry Paul Greaney QC said he was sympathetic to the desire of the families to see the witness ‘face-to-face,’ but said this ‘would give rise to risk the inquiry must guard against.’

He pointed out they would still be able to hear and follow his evidence.

Cathy McGahey QC, on behalf of the Home Secretary, said there were ‘particular reasons’ for the application for screens, which she said she could not elaborate on in an open session of the inquiry.

Duncan Atkinson QC, representing some of the families, said MI5 could have chosen to put forward a witness who would not have required screens.

He stressed he was ‘the only’ witness from MI5 who would be able to answer questions from the families about what the security service ‘did or did not do.’

He went on that there was ‘no interest’ from the families in seeking to identify Witness J or bump into him in the street and identify him to other passing members of the public.

“One just has to say that to realise what nonsense that is,” said Mr Atkinson, adding: “We say there’s a very large public interest in the families and the public more generally in having confidence in the process that things are not being hidden that should not be and questions are being answered that should be.”

For them to hear they were not trusted ‘is not going to further that public confidence,’ he said.

Pete Weatherby QC, representing another group of families, pointed out Witness J was a ‘senior manager rather than an operational officer.’ Witness J ‘has no personal knowledge of the facts’ and was instead a ‘corporate witness,’ he went on.

Jude Bunting, representing media organisations including the M.E.N., applied for the media to be granted access to a folder of sensitive information so journalists could be in a position to understand why reporting restrictions had been imposed and challenge them if they wished.

The chairman of the inquiry is expected to publish his rulings at a later date.