In Britain, undercover police officer admits relationship during operation — The Guardian

In the United Kingdom, a police officer who worked undercover under the false name Dave Evans admitted to an inquiry into undercover policing that he had a relationship with a woman during his covert operation. He had previously claimed that he did not engage in sexual relationships while using a false identity.

As The Guardian reports, Evans admitted to a relationship with a woman referred to in the inquiry documents as Olivia after activists provided relevant evidence. According to him, the relationship lasted at least six months; during questioning, he did not rule out that it may have continued for two years, but could not remember its exact duration.

Previous statement

In his first written statement, signed four years ago, the officer said that he had not engaged in any sexual activity while working undercover. In a new statement signed this year, he acknowledged that he should have informed the inquiry about his relationship with Olivia.

When asked by the inquiry's lawyer, Don Rumble, whether he had lied in his previous statement, Evans replied that it “was not entirely truthful, looking back.” He explained that he had not disclosed the relationship because the woman was not an activist and did not belong to any of the target groups.

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Undercover work

Evans was one of about 139 police officers whom management directed to monitor tens of thousands of predominantly left-wing activists over more than four decades. From 1998 to 2005, he infiltrated the Socialist Workers Party and animal rights groups, including London Animal Action.

During the operation, he posed as a landscape gardener. He met Olivia in 1998 on a training course that he attended under his false identity and did not tell her that he was a police officer. The inquiry also heard evidence that the couple attended social events with animal rights activists and at least one demonstration. Olivia is not giving evidence in the case.

The inquiry is examining misconduct by undercover police officers, including cases in which they entered into relationships with women without revealing their true identities. The government is considering changing the format of the further stages of the inquiry, which has been ongoing for more than ten years.