Helen Steele due to give evidence to spycop enquiry today.

[Signalbox]

https://policespiesoutoflives.org.uk/our-stories/helens-story-2/

Sorry that should have said tomorrow (Wednesday). I’m trying to find a link to the hearing.

I wasn't really aware of much of this but have you seen the guardian video on YouTube? It was really informational, it had three ladies that were duped they had their bodies and heads covered in masks, and they were making the actors act out what happened to them. It was really, really good.You should check it out online
Found the link it has made me want yo know more https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2024/nov/20/we-did-not-consent-a-restaging-of-britains-undercover-police-scandal

“I had naively imagined this blessing might have touched his soul, and had hoped he would provide a clear, honest account in which he took full responsibility for his actions: for the deceitful relationships during which he denied the women informed consent; for abandoning his son and the mother of his child; and for the smears and false allegations about the activists he was spying on. Instead of a mea culpa, however, I have endured what felt like the contrived performance of a professional manipulator. If you didn’t know he had completed a 5km run only last month, you may be taken in by the frail, elderly man act. It seemed like his priority, above all else, was self-preservation.”

• ”Alison is one of eight women who first took legal action against the Metropolitan police over the conduct of undercover officers and a founder member of Police Spies Out of Lives. A core participant in the Public Inquiry into Undercover Policing, she is one of the authors of Deep Deception – The Story of the Spycop Network by the Women who Uncovered the Shocking Truth”

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/dec/11/undercover-policing-inquiry-lies-destroyed-lives-spy-cop

There's been over a week of evidence from someone who is, arguably, one of the worst and most harmful of the undercover police, Bob Lambert. Unfortunately, with strong reporting restrictions in place, most of his evidence was not live-streamed and won't go up on YouTube. This is because, in particular, due to his possible involvement, which he denies, in an arson attack.

In the absence of being able to watch things on YouTube, this Twitter account is the second best thing:

x.com/tombfowler/with_replies

In fact, today will have live-streaming from the Inquiry:

https://t.co/wd0trxM3xc

https://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/24791354.jessica-tells-spy-cops-inquiry-andy-coles-relationship/

These horrible gross men should be in jail.

The abusive undercover police officer involved is going to be giving evidence to the Inquiry over Wednesday to Friday of next week. It's a toss-up over whether it will be live-streamed, many of the hearings aren't.

s://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/dec/15/spy-cops-scandal-creepy-officer-formed-sexual-relationship-with-teen-in-1990s?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Today's evidence from 'Jessica' will be live-streamed on YouTube.

Please note the stream will be audio only and subject to a 10-minute delay so will be audible 10 minutes later than the time in the schedule.

I'd say it'll start on youtube after 9.50.

That's not very good. I'll try again:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ow1pE0D5oFs

Vile man. His account is entirely unbelievable.

https://www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk/news/24806258.andrew-coles-gives-evidence-undercover-policing-inquiry/

Two days of evidence in which Coles, 30-something at the time, denied having a sexual relationship with a teenager who is now referred to as Jessica.

The narrative Coles relies on now is that he went out of his way to avoid sexual relationships. Although it's difficult to reconstruct his thinking now, especially since he's pushing a particular counter narrative, there is a very useful document, a trade craft manual he wrote not long after his undercover work, that reflects his thinking at the time. Coles is very effectively cross-examined by Barr KC about this document in this (time-stamped) part of his evidence:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=39Af5xHG7LI&t=3252s

Note the suggestion of targetting activists (referred to as "wearies") for sexual liaisons who weren't of interest to the intelligence operation. That fits in with the frequent targetting by undercover officers of vulnerable women aged in their early 20s or younger. Note the suggestion that these liaisons should be "fleeting" and "disastrous". Also note how Coles denies all the way through that he was talking about sexual relationships but then is massively caught out by Barr KC, see particularly 1 hour 1 minute to just over 1 hour 2 minutes in, who then goes on to a blistering summary concluding just before 1 hour 11 minutes in.

“A former spy cop has maintained his denial that he had sex with women while undercover, despite the revelation that he wrote an official police manual suggesting other officers do the same thing.”

https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/24808581.andrew-coles-wrote-met-police-manual-sexual-liaisons/

For those who hadn't realised - Andy Coles is the older brother of 'Reverend' Richard Coles.

Despite knowing for many years that Andy was one of the spycops (if it hadn't been for Richard including info about this in his autobigraphy, it's likely that none of us would have found out Andy's identity as the public inquiry would have granted him anonymity) Richard claims he's only found out more this week from the inquiry. Which presumably means he's been watching the same videos as you over the past few days <above>.

Incredible to then see him piop up on 'The Last Leg' on Friday night making 'jokes' about this

• I was disgusted by his lies many years ago (pretending to be HIV-positive to his friends for 6+ months, his only explanation being that) but this is far far worse... what a horrible pair of men.

https://metro.co.uk/2024/12/21/rev-richard-coles-learning-spy-brother-public-inquiry-scandal-22231683/

If you are on Twitter, follow the hashtag #spycops for more updates. If not, see https://campaignopposingpolicesurveillance.com/blog/ & https://spycops.info/ for links to various other sites & groups working on this issue.

A disappointing day at the Undercover Policing Inquiry. Today's witness was Paul Gravett, an animal rights activist who has a very long record of activism who encountered various spycops over the years.

Gravett wanted his testimony to be streamed on youtube. The Inquiry would not permit this because of the risk of it revealing information that might identify a particular undercover police officer, "Matt Rayner". This spycop had deceived a female activist into a sexual relationship while he was undercover. Apparently it had been said by the Inquiry a long time ago that in these circumstances the real world identities of police officers would not be hidden. It's not clear what's changed since then.

So here was are with today's evidence suppressed and not made available to the general public.

It's so disgraceful that these abusive men are being protected.
What even is the point of this inquiry?

Well, since it was set up in 2015, the point would seem to be to give the appearance that something was being done while allowing the scandal to die a decade-long death away from the eyes of the public.

"Thank you, Sir Humphrey; that seems to cover it nicely!"

Yeah. I think this and certain other enquiries are starting to engender cyncism amongst feminists and activists generally. Back to direct action?

Since it's clear that policemen used female activists for sex without their consent, ie there's no way they would have agreed if they'd known they were going to have sex with a police officer, I did wonder whether there could be charges for sexual offences.

It turns it this was stitched up more than a decade ago and before the Inquiry commenced:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28877001

So this is separate from the goings-on at the Sumac Centre in Nottingham, and the charming Mark Kennedy? Who cashed in by writing a book on the story, as I recall.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-68007212

So CPS stated an unwillingness to prosecute cases of obtaining sex by deception? What a surprise.

CPS may think the fact that these women didn’t know the men were police officers is not particularly relevant but I doubt the women feel that way. There was absolutely no need or excuse for these policemen to initiate sexual relationships with any of these women who they were surveilling: they lied and took advantage of young women and should be punished for their actions.

The Police made an apology in 2015 and paid substantial amounts of compensation to the women. They acknowledged that the relationships were "abusive, deceitful, manipulative and wrong" and "a violation of the women’s human rights, an abuse of police power and caused significant trauma".

It's hard to imagine how this didn't reach the threshold of criminality.
It was state sanctioned sexual abuse.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/nov/20/met-police-apologise-women-had-relationships-with-undercover-officers

No, it's not separate. It's the same Inquiry.
Mark Kennedy was employed by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU), the successor unit to the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS), and both units are being examined by the Undercover Policing Inquiry. There was a lot of crossover between the two units in terms of both personnel and tradecraft (and those they targetted, and reported on).

This week's witness, like Andy Coles and Bob Lambert, was employed by the SDS. Every time another of these 'spycops' gives evidence, you think they can't get any worse. But this one has managed. And has been given anonymity by the Inquiry, so we only know the cover name he stole from a dead child used to spy on animal rights activists,

If you don't want to sit through all the evidence (much of which is available via the UCPI's Youtube channel - audio-only this week) you can check out the reaction videos being filmed by those who are attending the hearings in person: at https://www.youtube.com/@copscampaign6863/videos

If you're near the Sumac Centre in Nottingham, they're hosting a 'Spycops Info Hub' while these hearings are on, so people can watch/listen to the latest evidence and updates together (with food):
https://social.coop/@Veggies/113828963237555274

Kennedy was represented by infamous publicist Max Clifford for a while, but hasn't written a book. One of the women he deceived into a long-term relationship ('Lisa') contributed to this book, along with others from the Police Spies Out Of Lives group (including Helen Steel):
https://policespiesoutoflives.org.uk/deep-deception-the-story-of-the-spycops-network-by-helen-belinda-lisa-alison-and-naomi/

Another of the women Kennedy deceived, will be publishing a book later this year, which you can now pre-order:
https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Kate-Wilson/DisclosureUnravelling-the-Spycops-Files/31397106

Thanks. I'm not near Nottingham, but I have friends there who live just round the corner from the Sumac.