by Bethany Rielly
A FORMER undercover officer told an inquiry today that he punched a campaigner as a form of “justice” after the man accused him of being a police spy.
The officer, who used the cover name Michael Scott, carried out the “cold and calculated” attack while infiltrating protest groups in the 1970s, including anti-apartheid and Irish solidarity organisations.
The spycop broke his little finger after hitting campaigner Gerry Lawless, who had accused him in a public meeting of the Troops Out Movement of being an undercover officer.
Giving evidence to the Undercover Policing Inquiry, Mr Scott said he felt that the punch was the “only sensible way” to deal with the accusation and maintain his cover.
by Bethany Rielly
AN UNDERCOVER officer was authorised by senior police to lie in court after being arrested and charged with public order offences at an anti-apartheid protest, the spycops inquiry heard today.
The officer, who used the cover-name Michael Scott, was told by managers to use his fake identity during the trial in order to bolster his credentials among campaigners.
He was convicted under his false name for public disorder.
The revelation is the first potential miscarriage of justice being scrutinised by the Undercover Policing Inquiry, headed by retired judge Sir John Mitting.
As part of the inquiry, which is examining the conduct of around 139 officers who infiltrated more than 1,000 protest groups over 40 years, Mr Mitting is tasked with finding out how many campaigners were wrongly convicted because their trials were corrupted by spycops.
at the Undercover Policing Inquiry in the Amba Hotel, central London
AN UNDERCOVER officer who was unmasked as a spycop was ordered by senior police to claim that his bosses were unaware of his clandestine activities, the continuing public inquiry heard today.
After his cover was blown, “Dave Robertson,” an officer who infiltrated small Moaist groups in the 1970s, said he was paid a visit by the Metropolitan Police’s deputy commissioner and the head of the force’s special branch.
He claimed senior officers had created a “masterplan” to deal with the problem, and said that if he was confronted for being a spycop, he should say that he was “acting completely ‘off my own bat’ and that my superior officers were unaware of what I was doing,” the inquiry heard.
by Bethany Rielly
SEVERAL spycops attended the funeral of a protester killed by police in the 1970s and used the event to gather intelligence on mourners, a public inquiry heard today.
Blair Peach, a teacher and anti-racism campaigner, died after being struck on the head by a police baton during a demonstration against the National Front in west London in 1979.
Following his death, his partner Celia Stubbs launched a justice campaign, which was infiltrated by officers serving in the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS), a secret police unit accused of serial abuses over decades.
Speaking on behalf of Ms Stubbs, Matthew Ryder QC told the Undercover Policing Inquiry that the killing of Blair Peach and the subsequent “cover-up” was one of the “most notorious events in the history of British policing.”
The court fines and charges followed prosecutions by Blackburn with Darwen Council. Two of the court cases were initiated after neighbours complained about mounting rubbish with rear gardens and nearby areas used as dumping grounds for rotting waste and discarded furniture. The other two involved residents allowing unauthorised waste carriers to remove their rubbish, resulting in fly tipping. The four defendants were summonsed to appear before Blackburn magistrates on April 6 after ignoring calls to act by the council. Two failed to appear in court and had their cases proved in their absence, whilst the other two pleaded guilty. The largest penalty was for Amy Louise Thornley of Herschell Street, Blackburn, who was ordered to pay £1,086.