The UK Government has secured a significant legal victory after the Supreme Court unanimously overturned a decision to disclose sensitive security material related to a Troubles-era murder in Northern Ireland.
Court overturns coroner's decision on sensitive files
In a ruling delivered on Wednesday 17 December 2025, the Supreme Court in London sided with the Government's appeal. The case centred on Coroner Louisa Fee's decision to release summaries, known as gists, of evidence from a sensitive security force file. This file was connected to the murder of 25-year-old Liam Paul Thompson in west Belfast on 27 April 1994.
Mr Thompson was shot by loyalist paramilitaries while in a taxi on his way home. His family has long maintained that security force collusion played a part in his death. The High Court and Court of Appeal in Belfast had previously supported the coroner's disclosure decision, prompting the Government to escalate the matter to the UK's highest court.
National security concerns take precedence
In the lead judgment, Lord Stephens stated that the coroner had made several errors. He emphasised that the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, not the Chief Constable, holds the ultimate responsibility for assessing risks to national security.
The court found that Coroner Fee failed to apply the correct legal test before deciding to depart from the Secretary of State's assessment of potential damage from disclosure. She also wrongly neglected to seek the views of the Secretary of State before making her decision to disclose the gist of the information.
The Government had argued that revealing the documents would harm the public interest by jeopardising national security. Specifically, it would contravene the long-standing policy of "neither confirming nor denying" (NCND) the use of informants or covert human intelligence sources.
Wider implications for Troubles legacy cases
Campaign groups have warned that this judgment could set a precedent, affecting numerous other investigations into deaths during the Troubles where state secrecy is a factor. Amnesty International's Northern Ireland deputy director, Grainne Teggart, described it as a "grim day for truth". She argued the ruling could allow the Government to conceal state agents' involvement in historical killings.
The case also highlighted a rare public disagreement between Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn and PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher over the extent of the national security risk posed by disclosure. While the court expressed sympathy for Mr Boutcher's desire for transparency, it ruled that the statutory responsibility lay squarely with the Secretary of State.
Due to a statutory deadline imposed by the previous government's now-repealed Legacy Act, the inquest into Liam Thompson's death cannot be completed. The Supreme Court suggested a full investigation might instead be pursued through a statutory inquiry or via the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery.
In responses to the judgment, Mr Benn called it a "highly complex case with wide-ranging implications", stating the Government would take time to consider its full consequences. Mr Boutcher reiterated the PSNI's commitment to helping deal with the past and expressed a desire to work with stakeholders on a Public Interest Immunity (PII) process that satisfies the courts and provides information to families.
The ruling arrives amidst a deeply personal tragedy for the Thompson family. Earlier this year, Liam's brother Eugene died just days after Chief Constable Boutcher delivered a bedside apology regarding the case.
