The BBC has published allegations that an MI5 spy abused and threatened to kill two of his former partners after a legal battle with the Attorney General came to a close.

High Court judge Mr Justice Chamberlain ruled this week that the BBC was able to make its own decision about how much descriptive information to use about the agent in its reporting.

The Government had submitted a long list of descriptors it wanted banned, including his appearance, tattoos, racial or ethnic origin, nationality, and heritage. The BBC said banning any description of his appearance was “too broad” but agreed it would not use his name, voice or accent.