A senior detective investigating one of Britain’s most controversial spy scandals has appealed to both ex-IRA and retired soldiers to help him get the truth about the killing of a young woman in the Troubles. Jon Boutcher is a former chief constable of Bedfordshire and the head of Operation Kenova, which is investigating the military intelligence agent known as Stakeknife who betrayed the IRA for three decades. Boutcher has been tasked to review several unsolved killings from the Northern Irish conflict, and on Monday will make the unusual step of issuing a direct appeal to former British soldiers and IRA operatives to pass on any information they have about the 1972 killing of Jean Smyth-Campbell. Smyth-Campbell was shot dead in the front passenger seat of a green Austin 1100 car in west Belfast after a night out at the Glenowen Inn on the Glen Road on 8 June 1972. There have been conflicting allegations over the years that either a local IRA unit or British soldiers fired the shots that killed the 24-year-old. Stressing that Smyth-Campbell was an innocent victim of what appeared to be a random shooting incident during the most violent year of the Troubles, Boutcher said he wanted to finally establish the truth about what happened to her and bring closure for her family. The shooting occurred at a roundabout close to a bus station facing an army post that protected a local electricity substation. Addressing both ex-IRA and former British troops who may have served in the area at the time, Boutcher said: “I have a completely open mind. All I want is for her family to get finally get the truth about what happened to Jean that night. “Whatever the circumstances at the time, please could you find it in your hearts to come forward with any information that might help Jean’s family establish the truth? If you have information or were involved, come and talk to us at Operation Kenova in order to help us understand what happened.” Boutcher said he was particularly keen to trace a red-haired girl who was described by witnesses as helping to put Smyth-Campbell into a taxi that then took her to hospital. Smyth-Campbell’s sister Margaret McQuillan, who was 12 at the time of the shooting, also called on people to come forward with information regardless of their role that night. She said: “For years my Mammy used to stand at the window, waiting for Jean to come home. She and my dad both went to the grave not knowing the truth. “It feels as though we have been living a lie for more than 40 years and have fought hard to get the investigation independently reviewed, so we can establish the truth of what happened. We need people to come forward and tell the team what they know.” Boutcher added that anyone with any information should call his detective team on 01234 858-298 or email kenova@met.police.uk.