Lennon’s Secret Agent

By NICK LOWLES

One of the most shocking stories in the Channel 4 documentary is that of Kate, a traumatised survivor of sexual abuse who featured in episode four of the series, Lennon’s Rape of Britain, which documents the history of abuse in Telford, as told by those most affected. Kate described how she was used and exploited by Lennon for his own personal gain and paid just £500 for her involvement. She apparently received nothing from the subsequent funding appeals that Lennon made, including one which specifically referenced her and included a commitment to support her financially.

The opening scene of her Rape of Britain story featured a call to Lennon, in which she discussed committing suicide. She insists that she was not aware that the call was being recorded and, when later asked by Lennon if it could be included in the film, she said she refused. He used it anyway, leaving her even more traumatised and isolated than before.

What’s equally disturbing is the way that Lennon first approached her to ask her to feature in one of his films. She told the programme that she had been trying to rebuild her life in London in secrecy but that Lennon had somehow managed to track her down and contacted her out of the blue. His methodology revealed his willingness to step outside the law.

In this he was assisted by Peter Keeley, a former MI5 employee who went by the name of Kevin Fulton and had spent 15 years undercover in the IRA.  Keeley is still active and now runs surveillance for Lennon’s operation. Quite why “surveillance” should be necessary has not been revealed!  Keeley had allegedly been an MI5 double agent who was tasked with infiltrating the IRA. He embraced this role so thoroughly that he became an IRA bomb maker and was later a member of its infamous internal security team, the “nutting squad”, who earned a reputation for attacking and even killing IRA members who were suspected of being informants. While Keeley was lauded as a hero when his covert role inside the IRA was finally revealed, it was not without contention. By his own admission, he killed, bombed and maimed for the cause.

A foreword by former special forces soldier, Martin Ingram (not his real name), in Keeley’s autobiography Double Agent, noted: “Kevin Fulton [Keeley] was a British agent actively encouraged to take part in operations that were immoral, and illegal. In effect, he was handed a licence to kill by British military intelligence, through its secret wing, the Force Research Unit (FRU). When you read this book, be under no illusion that Fulton took part in operations that resulted in murders, with the full knowledge of the FRU. His police handlers knew it. His military handlers knew it. The British State knew it. And later, so did the families of his victims.”

To this day, dozens of lawsuits are pending against Keeley for his behaviour and actions. If they come to court, they threaten to bring to light the extent of the British government’s complicity in his illegal activities. One of these cases involves the assault on Peter McCabe, 62, who was shot several times during a botched interrogation after he had been kidnapped by an IRA gang in Newry. It has now been alleged that Keeley took part in this abduction, fearing that McCabe was about to expose him as a British spy.

Another case, which was settled out of court in December 2020, was that of RUC officer Colleen McMurray, who was killed when her police car was blown up by an IRA bomb in 1992. In his autobiography, Keeley claims to have passed on information about the planned attack whilst meeting his handlers in London. Instead of intercepting the bomb plot, the Army simply switched its patrol with the police, who were obviously in a more vulnerable vehicle – a shamefully cynical and ruthless move.

Keeley now lives in London in a flat which is funded by the Police Service, Northern Ireland.

Keeley has used his clandestine skills to support Lennon for several years, providing both background research and undertaking surveillance. However, as in the case of Kate, he boasts about his ability to access people’s private details and criminal records and claims to have an expertise in hacking, a skill he learnt whilst working for MI5. If he is using these illegal research methods and accessing confidential documents, he should be investigated.   And we need answers to the question: Should his dishonest lifestyle be funded by the British taxpayer?