A VIOLENT machete-armed misogynist and neonazi state agent was protected by MI5, which lied to three courts on his behalf, according to a BBC report today.

The Security Service told judges that it would not confirm or deny the identity of its agents, although it admitted to a BBC reporter that the man, identified only as Agent X, was in fact working for it.

MI5 has now been forced to apologise to the three courts that heard cases relating to X’s treatment of his then partner.

Spy chiefs also lied at a court hearing in a bid to block reporting of Agent X’s crimes.

They said they could not confirm his status, even though a BBC reporter had a recording of a senior MI5 official claiming legal authority to tell her that X was the service’s agent.

It has now issued an “unreserved apology” to the BBC and all three courts, describing what happened as a “serious error.”

Centre for Women’s Justice lawyer Kate Ellis, representing X’s partner, identified only as Beth, said: “This raises real concerns about MI5’s transparency, about whether we can trust MI5’s evidence to courts.”

Beth’s case will now return to court, which is investigating whether the Security Service breached her human rights by failing to protect her from their agent’s abusive and coercive conduct.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has appointed Jonathan Jones KC to investigate how the spooks came to provide false evidence to the courts.

MI5 is also conducting an internal probe, which may result in disciplinary action.

The BBC has asked the court to ensure that this “serious breach is properly investigated” and that the results of any investigation are brought into the public domain.