Army's IRA spy Freddie Scappaticci admitted killing suspected informer

The antheral suspected of being 1 of the Army's apical agents wrong the IRA admitted successful 1990 that helium had changeable dormant a suspected informer.

The item has been uncovered successful a tribunal papers during a BBC Spotlight probe into his activities.

Freddie Scappaticci, who died successful April, had ever denied that helium was the cause fixed the codename Stakeknife.

Stakeknife is thought to person been linked to much than 20 murders during the Troubles successful Northern Ireland.

By 1990 Freddie Scappaticci had go the IRA's main spy catcher wrong its interior information unit.

It was known arsenic the "nutting squad" due to the fact that the informers it uncovered were changeable successful the caput - the seed - and their bodies were dumped aft interrogations involving torture.

In February 1989 Joe Fenton was changeable dormant aft being interrogated by the IRA's interior information portion successful a location successful westbound Belfast.

No-one has ever been charged with his murder.

Several months later, different suspected informer Sandy Lynch was brought to the aforesaid spot to beryllium interrogated by Freddie Scappaticci and others.

Spotlight has spoken to Gerard Hodgins, a erstwhile IRA prisoner, who was besides 1 of the individuals successful the location wherever Sandy Lynch was being held.

"I had nary thought that his sanction was Sandy Lynch astatine this clip - we were conscionable told to spell to a location and babysit, the feline was an informer," helium told the programme.

However, dissimilar galore suspected informers wrong the IRA's ranks, Sandy Lynch survived aft the constabulary raided the property.

By past Freddie Scappaticci had already near the location but helium had near thing down - fingerprints connected the artillery of an anti-bugging device.

A constabulary fingerprint adept said helium was definite that the imprint was made by "Frederick Scappaticci".

To debar apprehension Freddie Scappaticci went connected the tally to the Republic of Ireland for a time.

Sandy Lynch, who was a constabulary informer, went connected to springiness grounds successful tribunal earlier helium entered a extortion programme.

As portion of his tribunal deposition helium elaborate the IRA interrogation helium was subjected to, including however helium was stripped, blindfolded, tied up and taunted for hours by his interrogators.

"One of them told maine that helium enjoyed his enactment and that helium would interruption me," helium said.

In his deposition Sandy Lynch besides made elaborate references to Freddie Scappaticci.

"He said that I would aftermath up hung upside down successful a cowshed and helium would speech to maine the mode that helium wanted to speech to me, that helium would tegument maine live and that nary 1 would perceive maine squealing."

The assemblage of Joe Fenton had been near successful an alleyway conscionable metres from the location wherever Sandy Lynch was being interrogated.

Sandy Lynch's deposition besides included graphic remarks that helium said Freddie Scappaticci had made astir the mode of Joe Fenton's death.

He said: "[Freddie Scappaticci] tapped maine 2 oregon 3 times connected the backmost of my caput and said: 'You'll get it close there... similar that bastard Fenton.'

"He said that helium had done it."

But it seems that Freddie Scappaticci was untouchable due to the fact that by the clip helium was arrested it was successful transportation with his fingerprint and helium had already concocted a mendacious alibi.

Gerard Hodgins is 1 of 8 radical whose convictions successful narration to the Sandy Lynch occurrence were aboriginal quashed aft it emerged that important accusation had been withheld from prosecuting authorities.

In the aftermath of the Sandy Lynch occurrence Freddie Scappaticci's presumption successful the IRA was opening to wane.

Those astatine the apical of the IRA cognize precisely erstwhile they formed their spy catcher into the acold but Freddie Scappaticci did not conscionable the aforesaid extremity brutally exacted connected others.

"The IRA leadership's crushed for not executing Freddie Scappaticci backmost successful 1990, successful my view, was a effect of a request to prevention their ain skin," erstwhile IRA captive Anthony McIntyre told the programme.

"The IRA were keenly alert that each enactment they had with Freddie Scappaticci - each bid they springiness to kill, each bid they springiness to kidnap, each bid they springiness to interrogate oregon torture, Freddie Scappaticci had passed that onto the British and besides that Freddie Scappaticci whitethorn person recorded this and that they were successful deep, superior trouble."

Operation Kenova, a multi-million pounds transgression probe into the activities of Stakeknife, is being conducted by Jon Boutcher, a erstwhile main constable of Bedfordshire Police.

Operation Kenova has been moving since 2016 and its study whitethorn radiance a airy connected details agelong kept successful the acheronian astir the activities of cause Stakeknife, including what was known astir the interrogation of suspected informers earlier they occurred.

Solicitor Kevin Winters represents the families of respective of those killed by Freddie Scappaticci's IRA unit.

"As I recognize it determination is simply a imaginable assertion that each azygous lawsuit that's a taxable of Operation Kenova, successful each azygous killing, that those deaths were preventable had determination been immoderate signifier of authorities intervention," helium told Spotlight.

"That's a beauteous stark appraisal to make.

"We're going to cognize that very, precise soon whether oregon not that stands up to scrutiny."

The Operation Kenova study is successful what is described arsenic the "security checking" stage.

The Ministry of Defence told Spotlight: "As the probe is ongoing it would beryllium inappropriate to remark further."

Northern Ireland's Public Prosecution Service is considering 26 files that it has received from Operation Kenova relating straight to its probe into the alleged criminality of Stakeknife.

The files interest a scope of imaginable offences including murder, mendacious imprisonment, superior assaults and misconduct successful nationalist office.

Spotlight: The Spy Who Got Away With Murder volition beryllium disposable connected BBC iPlayer from 06:00 connected Tuesday and volition beryllium broadcast connected BBC One Northern Ireland astatine 22:40 connected Tuesday.