13.10.15



IAN HURST PUBLIC MENACE

Do you remember a bloke called Ian Hurst? He used to call himself Martin Ingram and with help from an Irish journalist; he published a book called Stakeknife, which was said to be a sensational eye-opener into the ‘Dirty War’ in Northern Ireland during the troubles. The BBC believed every word of it and giving him free publicity announced its publication date amongst its news items.

Later, when all the fuss about his bizarre claims died, Hurst appeared at the Leveson Inquiry and claimed the now defunct News of the World had hacked his computer.

Why let the truth get in the way of a good story? – The BBC produced a Panorama documentary and calling him an Intelligence Officer supported his bizarre claims.

Confident the BBC must be right and all the Press joined them and said Hurst was a whistleblower and a victim.

Are any of Hurst’s bizarre claims true? Just because the BBC believed him does not make them true and upon examination, his bizarre claims simply did not stand up.


STAKEKNIFE


Let us begin with Hurst’s book, Stakeknife – Britain’s Secret Agents in Ireland.

He claims the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, Martin McGuinness is a British spy working for MI6.

He claims the British Army’s Force Research Unit was involved in the assassination of civil rights lawyer Patrick Finucane.

He claims the FRU was involved in the failed assassination of Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams.

When more of Hurst’s bizarre claims faced challenge, it was concluded that he had

“Exaggerated the importance of his role” and “his level of knowledge and access to intelligence.”

His claims about the murder of Patrick Finucane were rejected because the judge attached no weight to them.

In 2010, Lord Saville’s report on the killing of 14 civil rights marchers in Derry by British soldiers on Bloody Sunday 1972 concluded:

We are of the view that Martin Ingram to a substantial degree exaggerated the importance of his role at HQNI and his level of knowledge and access to intelligence.

In 2012, Sir Desmond de Silva, reporting on the murder of Patrick Finucane, also rejected evidence from Martin Ingram:

I do not attach any weight to his allegations with respect to the FRU and the murder of Mr Finucane.

In simple terms, they believed that Hurst was making it all up just like a Walter Mitty.

I thought they didn’t allow adverts, why did the BBC announce the publication date of Hurst’s book in an article dated 15/02/03 entitled “‘Stakeknife’ trial cover-up claim.” It was an item stacked with more of Hurst’s bizarre claims, a free advert to help boost book sales, it paved the way for his bizarre claims made at the Leveson Inquiry.


LEVESON


Hurst resurfaced again, just as the public expected that the now defunct News of the World would pay phone-hacking victims large sums of money in compensation, Hurst bizarrely claimed that his computer had been hacked and booked himself a seat in front of the cameras at the Leveson Inquiry.

Hurst bizarrely claimed that the NotW targeted him because of his work with FRU in Northern Ireland and wanted information on an IRA informer. Just like Lord Saville and Sir Desmond de Silva before me, I cannot attach any weight to these allegations, they sound a lot like Walter Mitty again.

Hurst describes himself as a British spy and claims he has handled agents. He has promoted himself as a well-informed intelligence officer and not just another low-level monkey who likes posing with a gun…

Ian Hurst - like a monkey posing with a gun

If he is the real James Bond, why did he not have anti-virus software installed on his PC to protect his TOP SECRET documents? Why did he open a spurious attachment received in an email from an unknown source? Contrived, it simply does not add up – you do not need to be a spy to know that you never click on an attachment from an unknown source! Everyone’s granny knows you never do that! Naïve or what? Hurst says he clicks on the attachment and whoosh a Trojan bug jumps out and all his big secrets wend their way to Rupert and Rebekah.

Is it just me, or does this sound like collusion? Hurst bizarrely claimed that an old pal he once worked with popped along one day and confessed to him that he had done the dirty deed and had hacked his computer on behalf of the NotW.

Does any of that sound likely?

BBC’s Panorama swallowed Hurst’s bizarre claims hook line and sinker. You cannot make it up; they even produced a teaser for their documentary.




Hurst donned his suit in an effort to look respectable before the judge and toddled off to the Leveson Inquiry, but Sir Brian was having none of it and binned Hurst’s made up account.

Hurst reacted to the judge’s dismissal of his bizarre claims with more bizarre claims, seemingly hysterical, he said Sir Brian Leveson had “pulled his punches” over “police corruption at the very highest level” saying his bizarre claims were “too hot to handle” and that the judge had “covered up” yet more of his bizarre claims.

Lord Saville and Sir Desmond de Silva have effectively demolished Hurst’s credibility.

ELECTORAL ROLL SCAM


What has Hurst been up to since his appearance at the Leveson Inquiry?

Why have I investigated Hurst’s bizarre claims?

I have discovered that Hurst now runs Search Electoral Roll a web site dedicated to making him money from selling your personal information.

Hurst crossed my path when I received an alert, which informed me that without my consent he had entered my personal details onto his web site. I have always opted-out of the edited electoral roll that local councils sell to business. It is a breach of the Data Protection Act to sell my personal details and Hurst is under investigation by the authorities.

A County Council electoral officer confirmed that I had always opted-out of the edited electoral roll. Hurst had no right to sell my personal details on his web site. Once the County Council had investigated, they advised me to make a formal complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office or ICO.

I found that apart from numerous similar web sites, Hurst is the Registrant of Search Electoral Roll and has declared himself as the director of Intelligent Tracing Limited, registered at 30 Hallbridge Gardens Bolton Lancashire BL1 8UT.

He is connected to Caja Data Espana registered at 145-157 St John Street London EC1V 4PW. Interfraud.org cites this registration address as ‘attractive to criminals and money laundering scams’. Over 33,000 companies are registered at this address and it is thought to be a mail forwarding address. The registered director of Caja Data Espana is David Hurst; his address is given as 8 Marinos, Castell de Ferro Granada 18740, Spain

Not just me, it is likely that since Hurst’s data entry breaches the Data Protection Act in respect to me, it almost certainly does the same for several thousand voters in my constituency alone. His site boasts he possesses masses of similar data on voters across the UK and this means it could potentially involve millions of people.

In confirmation that his web site is a scam, Hurst offers to remove offending entries if you pay him £10, he calls it an administration fee, for removing information that you did not give your consent for him to sell – I call it a ransom fee. He can then obtain your banking details and your email address or he demands that you give him your passport, driving license or birth certificate. Remember, Hurst is in the business of selling your information would you trust him not to sell any additional information that you give to him?

FURTHER INFORMATION

For those affected, please visit Electoral Roll Scam to find if your personal details are for sale on the web site Search Electoral Roll. I offer advice where to complain and how to seek to have your personal details removed.

Read more about Hurst

Investigated by journalist, Andrew Rosthorn, he visited Hurst’s address in Bolton to confirm his address and to verify he runs the web site.

When he doorstepped Hurst, Andrew Rosthorn suggested to him he had gone too far this time, Hurst replied, “So what, you can complain.” Unconcerned, he returned inside his house to watch a live football match on his television.

Read the full article, which appeared in Tribune magazine,