British agent Freddie Scappaticci may have been responsible for more deaths than the lives he saved.
In his interim report, former Operation Kenova head and current PSNI chief Constable Jon Boutcher addressed unfounded claims that the agent known as Stakeknife saved “countless” and “hundreds” of lives.
The notorious informer worked for the Force Research Unit, an intelligence gathering branch of the British army.
He died of natural causes last year.
It has previously been claimed that Scappaticci’s role at the heart of IRA operations had resulted in hundreds of lives being saved.
The interim report, published in Belfast on Friday, now confirms that the number of lives saved as a result of Stakeknife’s actions would be in the low double figures at most.
In the report, Mr Boutcher said Stakeknife was “undoubtedly a valuable asset who provided high quality intelligence about PIRA at considerable risk to himself”.
However, the current police chief dismissed claims about the number of lives saved.
“My estimate of the number of identifiable individuals whose lives were saved in reliance on information provided by Stakeknife - through relocation, warning or other
intervention - is between high single figures and low double figures and nowhere near hundreds,” he said.
Mr Boutcher added that the number of lives lost must also be factored in.
“Crucially, this is not a net estimate because it does not take account of the lives lost as a consequence of Stakeknife’s continued operation as an agent and, from what I have seen, I think its probable that this resulted in more lives being lost than saved,” he said.
“Furthermore, there were undoubtedly occasions when Stakeknife ignored his handlers, acted outside his tasking and did things he should not have done.”
Elsewhere in the report dealing with UDA intelligence officer Brian Nelson, who was also a FRU agent, Mr Boutcher challenges claims that the British army unit always tried to protect life.
“Kenova has found that the claim that the FRU always sought to save lives was not accurate,” he said.
The Kenova report said false claims about Scappaticci came from the British army.
“At the macro level, I have already touched on the widespread belief among some in the security forces that Stakeknife saved ‘countless’ or ‘hundreds’ of lives,” he said.
“He did not.
“The claim that he did emanates from the FRU which made a similar and equally exaggerated claim about Brian Nelson.”
