Ex-spy to be challenged over his role in hijacking
A FORMER British spy inside the IRA is to be asked if he will testify about his role in a lorry hijacking, the Court of Appeal heard yesterday.
In an unprecedented move, senior judges directed that a letter should be sent to Peter Keeley to see if he will stand over claims in a book that he was a state agent at the time of the incident.
Lawyers for lorry driver Patrick Quinn are drafting the correspondence as part of attempts to overturn his conviction for involvement in the February 1985 hijacking.
The Newry man claims he was set up by those who seized the truck loaded with electrical goods in Belfast.
Keeley, widely reported to be a British soldier who infiltrated the IRA using the pseudonym Kevin Fulton, referred to the hijacking in the book ‘Unsung Hero’.
He claimed the heist was organised to help him gain credibility within the paramilitary organisation.
In court yesterday counsel for Patrick Quinn, Stephen Toal, indicated a dispute over Keeley’s status as an agent when the hijacking was carried out.
He revealed an intention to seek an affidavit from the ex-spy about whether he is prepared to stand over the contents of his memoirs.
Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan directed that a letter should be served on Keeley “as soon as possible”.
Following the hearing Mr Quinn’s solicitor, Kevin Winters, confirmed he is writing to the former agent asking if he stands by the truthfulness of the book.