Any plot to kill Mr Freddie Scappaticci will not be halted even if the British government denies he was the British army's top spy inside the IRA, Belfast's High Court heard today.
As Mr Scappaticci, the west Belfast republican named as the British agent "Stakeknife", began a legal bid to clear his name, lawyers insisted it would be pointless for Northern Ireland security minister Ms Jane Kennedy to break her silence.
Mr Declan Morgan QC, for the Northern Ireland Office, said: "There's been no attempt to explain whether a statement or utterance by the security minister is likely to make a button of difference to such organisations if they are minded to behave in this outrageous way"
Mr Scappaticci (57) has strenuously denied newspaper claims that he was recruited by military intelligence during his career at the top ranks of the republican movement.
The British government has refused to comment on the allegations, stressing that it never speaks publicly about intelligence matters.
But lawyers for Mr Scappaticci today sought permission to press ahead with a judicial review application in the High Court aimed at forcing Ms Kennedy to give her assessment.
Mr Michael Lavery QC argued her stance amounted to a failure to protect his client's life, one of the cornerstones of European human rights legislation.
He rejected a proposal by the government's legal team that Mr Scappaticci should instead mount an appeal under the Data Protection Act for disclosure of all information on him.
"Mr Scappaticci is seeking a simple statement that he wasn't Stakeknife," Mr Lavery said.
Following a 70-minute hearing Mr Justice Kerr delayed making a ruling on the judicial review application until early next week.
PA
