BLOOD MONEY; His Treachery Led to the Torture and Execution of Countless British Agents. Yet Outrageously the European Court of Human Rights Has Ruled That George Blake CAN Profit from His Betrayals

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Byline: ANDREW ROBERTS

HE WAS one of the most evil men to besmirch the post-war period. His coldhearted, deliberate actions led to the torture and murder of scores of brave men and women, putting him on the same moral plane as the lowest, twisted serial killer.

Yet on Monday, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ordained that British taxpayers' money should be paid to the Communist spy George Blake because Britain has breached his human rights - even though he is a convicted traitor and a fugitive from British justice.

George Blake, who secretly worked for the KGB while serving in MI6, during which time he copied 4,720 pages of secret intelligence for the Russians and betrayed the identities of around 400 MI6 agents, has been living in Moscow since his sensational escape from Wormwood Scrubs in 1966.

He is now 84 and lives on the pension of a colonel in Russian Intelligence.

He is also inordinately proud of having betrayed this country so comprehensively - and for so long.

What possible right, therefore, can Blake have to sue the British Government, and what can the judges of the European Court of Human Rights …