British Govt orders inquiry into ‘sex-for-secrets’ case

Press, 1 November 1985, Page 13

British Govt orders inquiry into ‘sex-for-secrets’ case

NZPA staff correspondent London The British Government has ordered an independent inquiry into the Cyprus spy case, declaring that allegations of incompetence and brutality by service police warranted prompt investigation. It has, however, dismissed demands that the seven servicemen cleared of charges of giving secrets to Soviet agents be paid compensation.

On October 28, the last two of the seven servicemen charged with offences under the Official Secrets Act, 1911, while working at a signals listening post In Cyprus, walked free from the Old Bailey.' - The trial, which lasted 119 days and cost a reported £5 million ($12.5 million), began with prosecution allegations of homosexual orgies and blackmail and ended in a public uproar about interrogation techniques said to have been used by service police on the island. One of those acquitted, Aircraftman Christopher Payne, aged 26, said that he twice made pathetic attempts at suicide to escape his questioners. Others spoke of being deprived of sleep and grilled for up to 15 hours on end until they reached the stage where they were so confused or so desperate for respite that they signed confessions.

Payne told his stepfather: “After three weeks of that kind of interrogation I would have signed a statement saying I had personally started World War I if they had asked me.” The Minister of Armed Forces, Mr John Stanley, told the House of Commons that a Q.C., Mr David Calcutt, would next week begin an investigation of the way service police handled the incident. In a 8.8. C. television interview he agreed the integrity and credibility of the

police were on the line. “While these allegations remain on the table and have not been the subject of an independent investigation and prompt conclusion, it is very damaging for the service police,” he said. Mr Stanley said the rules governing military investigations gave those being questioned the same rights as civilians. “If the allegations we have seen reported are correct, I think it is very very likely Mr Calcutt will conclude there has been a breach,” Mr Stanley said. “But I must stress that these allegations have not been the subject of any independent evaluation and that those responsible for carrying out the investigations have the same right to be heard. Therefore it is very important that judgment is reserved until Mr Calcutt has completed his inquiry.” The Minister ruled out compensation as had been suggested by both Labour and Conservative politicians. Such a move would raise serious questions about other long-running cases where the defendants were found not guilty, he said. All the defendants in the “sex-for-secrets” case worked at a communications base at Ayios Nikolaos and its outstation in the Troodos Mountains in Cyprus. The prosecution said they were blackmailed into becoming spies after being lured into homosexual orgies and over a two-year period handed “bagfuls” of top secret information to the Russians. Most of the trial was held in secret but it appears it was never proved to the court that any information was missing from the base. In his summing up, Mr Justice Stocker told the jury that the existence of miss--ing secrets was central to the case.

He also said the jury had to make up its mind whether orgies ever took place, as the prosecution had relied on these as having been the basis for blackmail. His Honour also warned that it was a matter of “very considerable doubt” whether the identifications of the three foreign agents given by the servicemen in their “confessions” were .truthful. The verdicts were a considerable slap in the eye for security enforcement officers, especially as they followed up a string of

unsuccessful prosecutions under the Official Secrets Act The most recent case was that of a civil servant, Clive Ponting, who in February was cleared of breaching the act by giving documents relating to the sinking of the. Argentinian battleship General Belgrano to a member of Parliament. The case also came on top of a number of security scares at secret Government communications posts. Both security and the Secrets Act are now expected to come under renewed public scrutiny.