Kenova Report: Who is Jon Boutcher in the Stakeknife investigation?

The recently appointed Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Jon Boutcher, was previously the head of Operation Kenova, an independent investigation into the activities of Stakeknife, the British army’s top agent in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

Mr Boutcher ran Kenova and its associated investigations, including into police collusion in the Glenanne series of murders by loyalist paramilitaries from the Ulster Volunteer Force, from its creation in 2016 until October 2023 when he became interim chief constable of the PSNI.

He won praise for the victim-centred approach adopted by Kenova which, amid the ongoing controversy over the effective amnesty granted to suspects in Troubles cases under the UK government’s Legacy Act, has been cited as proof progress can be made despite the passage of time.

He rejected concerns following his appointment as Chief Constable that his new position would conflict with his former role at Kenova, saying “not one family has said anything to me about conflict of interest” and appropriate measures had been put in place.

One of the UK’s most senior police officers, Mr Boutcher has more than three decades of policing experience, the majority in the Metropolitan Police, and is a former chief constable of Bedfordshire police.

He led Scotland Yard’s “Flying Squad”, tackling armed robbery and other serious crime. He has significant counterterrorism experience and has led numerous national security operations.

He led an investigation into war crimes committed in Afghanistan by warlord Sarwar “Faryadi” Zardad, who was imprisoned for life for rape and torture of civilians, and was senior investigating officer for Operation Rhyme, which identified and traced a group of British men who planned mass casualty attacks in the US, as well as chemical and biological and improvised bomb attacks in the UK.

Their leader, Dhiren Barot, was sentenced to 80 years’ imprisonment, and is considered the most significant al Qaeda subject to have been detained in the UK.

Mr Boutcher led the manhunt which identified those behind a failed terrorist attack on the London transport network on July 21st, 2005, as well as the investigative response into the terrorist attack at Glasgow Airport in 2007.

He unsuccessfully applied to become commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in 2022 following the resignation of Cressida Dick in 2022, and lost out to his predecessor, Simon Byrne, as Northern Ireland’s chief constable in 2019.

Mr Boutcher took over as interim chief constable in October 2023 following Mr Byrne’s resignation, and was officially appointed to the role in November.

In a statement following his departure from Kenova, Mr Boutcher said it had been an “absolute privilege” to lead the investigation and while he now had a different role, he would continue to be there for families and victims and was “absolutely committed” to ensuring they received the truth.

“I will keep a close eye on Kenova’s progress, it is part of my DNA and an incredibly important chapter in the history of Northern Ireland,” he said.

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