Undercover officer admits lying to spycops inquiry about sexual relationship
A former British undercover officer known as Dave Evans has admitted lying to the spycops inquiry about a sexual relationship he had while infiltrating activist groups, after campaigners submitted evidence exposing the deception.
An undercover police officer who used the false name Dave Evans has admitted misleading Britain's long-running spycops inquiry about a sexual relationship he conducted while spying on activist groups.
Evans had originally stated, in a signed testimony four years ago, that he never engaged in sexual activity under his undercover identity. This week, however, he was forced to concede that he did have a relationship with a woman lasting at least six months, and possibly as long as two years, though he could not recall the exact duration.
The admission came only after campaigners brought evidence of the relationship to the inquiry's attention. Much of that evidence was supplied by Helen Steel, a social justice campaigner and defendant in the well-known McLibel case, who herself spent 18 years searching for another undercover officer, John Dines, after being deceived into a two-year relationship with him. Police at one point spent £2.5m in public funds relocating Dines to prevent Steel from finding him.
Between 1998 and 2005, Evans infiltrated the Socialist Workers party and animal rights groups including London Animal Action, posing as a landscape gardener. He met the woman, referred to in proceedings as Olivia, at a college course in 1998 and never disclosed his true identity to her. The pair reportedly attended social events with animal rights campaigners together, as well as at least one demonstration.
When asked whether he had lied in his original statement, Evans acknowledged it "was not completely truthful with hindsight," explaining he initially withheld the information because the woman was not an activist or part of any group under surveillance.
The inquiry, running for more than a decade, continues to examine widespread misconduct by undercover officers, including cases where at least four officers fathered children with women they deceived during deployments. The government is now weighing whether to continue the inquiry's remaining stages in a different format, a prospect that victims warn could amount to a cover-up.
