A human rights lawyer who pursued a decade-long “witch hunt” against innocent British soldiers was last night facing calls to be prosecuted after he was struck off.

Phil Shiner was described as a “modern-day traitor” after a tribunal found he acted dishonestly, recklessly and without integrity while bringing false allegations of murder, torture and mistreatment against hundreds of soldiers.

The National Crime Agency is now investigating after the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) passed a file to them for a possible prosecution.

The LAA said last night that it was also looking at recovering £3 million of funds it gave to his firm, Public Interest Lawyers, over a decade.

Sir Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, demanded Mr Shiner apologise for making soldiers’ lives a misery.