Kelly's family accuses government of playing Russian roulette with his life

By KIM SENGUPTA, PAUL WAUGH and NIGEL MORRIS

The family of Dr David Kelly yesterday accused the Government of playing Russian roulette with his life in a cynical and irresponsible propaganda campaign to shore up the crumbling credibility of its Iraq arms dossier.

In a bitter day of recriminations and accusations at the Hutton inquiry, counsel for Dr Kelly's widow and daughters accused the Ministry of Defence of deceit and betrayal in exposing his identity while failing to take into account the devastating psychological effect it would have on the late weapons scientist.

Lord Hutton also heard fresh evidence of how widespread dissent among senior members of the intelligence community over the dossier was suppressed, while Tony Blair and his ministers declared to the House of Commons and Parliamentary committees that no such problem existed.

The man whose name has been linked to much of the controversial revelations, Martin Howard, the Deputy Chief of Defence Intelligence, was the first witness to be cross-examined as the inquiry moved to a new phase.

In the structure of the hearings, this was when evidence given at the earlier hearing could be challenged, and they are likely to be more hostile. But few could have expected the proceedings to start in such an incendiary way.

Mr Howard was subjected to ferocious questioning from Jeremy Gompertz, QC for the Kelly family, and only slightly less acerbic sessions from Andrew Caldecott, QC for the BBC, and James Dingemans, QC for the inquiry.

Mr Howard maintained that the strategy which led to Dr Kelly's name being confirmed to the media came from Downing Street. Indeed, he said that he "deprecated" briefings denigrating the scientist from the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman, Tom Kelly.

But Mr Gompertz remorselessly continued to attack, accusing Mr Howard and the Ministry of Defence of playing "parlour games" in allowing journalists to offer a string of names before confirming the correct one.

"A game, perhaps, of 20 questions? Or in the case of The Times, 21 ?" asked Mr Gompertz, referring to the number of attempts newspapers were allowed to try to discover Dr Kelly's name.

Mr Howard replied "We are not responsible for how the media put their questions". Mr Gompertz snapped back " Oh, it was more like a game of Russian roulette?" The DIS chief, shaking his head, said in a barely audible voice "No, it was not that either".

Counsel continued "I suggest to you that the strategy that was adopted with regard to Dr Kelly's name was both cynical and irresponsible, what have you got to say?" Mr Howard responded " I would disagree with that completely".

Mr Gompertz asked: "Do you not agree that Dr Kelly was treated shabbily in relation to this episode?" "No, I do not agree," said Mr Howard.

Mr Howard asked whether naming Dr Kelly was a strategy to get him in front of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Intelligence and Security Committee in order to discredit claims by journalist Andrew Gilligan, of the BBC, that the Government had "sexed up" the Iraq dossier.. He answered : "Not in my case, no.".

Mr Howard was asked whether the MoD had considered what kind of psychological pressure Dr Kelly would be under if his name was made public, and whether any kind of risk assessment had been carried out. He admitted no such assessment had been undertaken and added "We realised that if his name became public, which seemed very likely, he would come under pressure."

-

INDEPENDENT

Hutton inquiry website

British Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee transcript:

Evidence of Dr David Kelly

Key players in the 'sexed-up dossier' affair

Herald Feature: Iraq