Former Kenova lead Jon Boutcher has called for both the Government and the Republican leadership to apologise to the families of those who lost loved ones suspected of being state agents during the Troubles.
Mr Boutcher made the call for apologies as he published his interim report on the findings of Operation Kenova which was launched in 2016 to investigate a large number of kidnappings, tortures and murders linked to an army agent inside the Provisional IRA code-named 'Stakeknife'.
Mr Boutcher led this investigation until his appointment as Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in October 2023.
He set out the overriding mission of Kenova is to deliver the truth to legacy families about what happened to their loved ones.
He said: "Many of these families have endured endless delays, setbacks and unfulfilled promises in their quest for the truth. Their strength, determination and dignity over many years is the most inspirational aspect of legacy and a lesson to us all.
"It is legacy families who gave up the most under the Good Friday Agreement and we owe it to them to listen to their stories, acknowledge their loss and tell them what actually happened."
While acknowledging that the security forces were faced with extremely challenging circumstances to which there was often ‘no right answer’, the report finds that they were frequently aware of imminent abductions and murders and yet failed to protect those at risk. As a result, preventable deaths occurred with their knowledge and those responsible were not brought to justice and were instead left free to reoffend.
The Kenova report highlights the lack of a legal framework to properly govern the use of agents during the Troubles in which agent handling was seen on occasions as a high-stakes ‘dark art’ practised ‘off the books’.
He said: "This was a very serious failing, it put lives at risk. It left those on the frontline exposed and let down."
The report stresses the responsibility for the torture and murder of so many suspected agents lay with the Provisional IRA and its so-called Internal Security Unit. At times the families of those accused of being agents - including women, children, the elderly and those with learning disabilities - were also subjected to violence and humiliation.
The Republican leadership compounded this wrongdoing with a policy of vilifying and intimidating victims and families, often based on false allegations.
The interim report does not reveal the identity of Stakeknife due to the Government’s policy of Neither Confirm Nor Deny (NCND), but it makes clear that:
Mr Boutcher said: "Most fundamentally, even if it were possible to accurately and reliably to say that a particular agent within a terrorist group did more good than harm, the morality and legality of agents doing any harm - with the knowledge of or on behalf of the state – would not be accepted today.
"I believe files submitted to the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland by Operation Kenova contain strong evidence implicating him and others in very serious wrongdoing. In my view, much of this could and would have been avoided if Northern Ireland agent running had been subject to proper regulation, control and oversight during the Troubles."
The Kenova interim report makes 10 recommendations.
Mr Boutcher said: “This report leaves little doubt that the Republican leadership was responsible for numerous dreadful crimes, many of which the Government failed to prevent.
"At the heart of Operation Kenova has always been the families and loved ones of the victims of that brutality. They have been denied the truth of what happened for too long.
"Today is an important step in delivering that truth and finally giving them answers they so desperately deserve. The Government and Republican leadership now need to acknowledge their roles in this awful section of history and both should apologise to families."
Kenova will now begin issuing family reports before a final report on the investigation is published under the direction of Sir Iain Livingstone, former Chief Constable of Police Scotland.
Sir Iain, who took over as Head of Kenova in 2023, said: “Today’s report is an important milestone for Kenova in our unwavering commitment to deliver the truth to families about what happened to their loved ones.
"Having worked closely with Kenova as a member of its Independent Steering Group, chairing the Governance Board and now as Officer in Overall Command I have a deep understanding of the excellent investigative work that has been done. I have seen first-hand how investigators have managed to access information which was not previously available to other enquiries and investigations. That information has been crucial in building a clear picture of what happened and developing the findings and recommendations published today.
"However, our work does not end here. In the months ahead, I will ensure we provide specific reports to individual families, to provide clarity on what happened to their loved ones, the truth they have been denied for so long. We will then publish a final report which will tell the full story of Operation Kenova."
Members of Kenova's Independent Steering Group, Governance Board and Victim Focus Group have also released statements which you can read here.