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London police apologise to women deceived into sexual relationships with undercover officers

The relationships have been described as “abusive, deceitful, manipulative and wrong”.

mark kennedy - 1 Former undercover police officer Mark Kennedy Channel 4 Channel 4

POLICE IN LONDON have issued an apology to women who engaged in relationships with undercover officers.

The case has been ongoing for the past four years and has seen seven women in total come forward.

In a statement today, assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Martin Hewitt has said that the behaviour was “totally unacceptable” and that each of the seven claims had recently been settled.

One of the most high-profile out of these was Mark Kennedy who spent seven years undercover in the environmental protest community.

He had been in a relationship with a woman for six years when she discovered his true identity.

In an interview with The Guardian, she said that Kennedy had been “the closest person in the world to me”.

‘A gross violation of personal dignity’ 

“Thanks in large part to the courage and tenacity of these women in bringing these matters to light it has become apparent that some officers, acting undercover whilst seeking to infiltrate protest groups, entered into long-term intimate sexual relationships with women which were abusive, deceitful, manipulative and wrong,” said Hewitt.

The officers in question were working for the Special Demonstration Squad, a unit within the Met Police’s Special branch that was in existence up until 2008, and the National Public Order Intelligence Unit, which was operational until 2011.

scotland yard Seven women in total have come forward as part of the case

“I wish to make a number of matters absolutely clear, most importantly, relationships like these should never have happened. They were wrong and a gross violation of personal dignity and integrity,” Hewitt went on.

The forming of a sexual relationship by an undercover officer would never be authorised in advance nor indeed be used as a tactic of a deployment.

It is also stated that in circumstances where an officer did form a sexual relationship they would be required to report it and an investigation would take place.

The relationships in question have been the subject of a number of investigations, including a criminal and misconduct enquiry by the Met Police called Operation Herne.

The BBC has reported that in total five former undercover officers have been caught up in the case.

Besides Mark Kennedy, these include Bob Lambert, who fathered a child with a woman while undercover, Jim Boyling, Mark Jenner and John Dines.

Read: Two teenagers stabbed at London school

Also: Women jailed for ‘honey trapping’ man, luring him to ‘first date’ and robbing from his home

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41 Comments
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    Mute Stephen Devlin
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    Nov 20th 2015, 1:55 PM

    Police officer Mark Kennedy should have seen this coming

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    Mute Juniper
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    Nov 20th 2015, 1:58 PM

    Looks like he was watching it from the corner of his eye alright

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    Mute Armin Tamzarian
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:08 PM

    He always keeps one eye on the goal…

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    Mute Stephen Devlin
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:25 PM

    Looks like my eyes behind my sunglasses when on holidays with the wife

    169
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    Mute james
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:52 PM

    I see what you all did there ….and there

    74
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    Mute Motherofdivinejebus
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    Nov 20th 2015, 3:20 PM

    He`d be a great look out on a busy street corner, both roads covered, Hate to see him with a gun though.

    59
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    Mute Bob Freeman
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:05 PM

    One of his eyes is still undercover

    173
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    Mute Liam Brophy
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:23 PM

    His wife always suspected he had a wandering eye

    144
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    Mute catkins407
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:40 PM

    Women have been used as spies for years and they entered in sexual relationships with men to get information. Hmmmm. So decit in this type of situation is only a problem when it’s the woman being deceived!!!

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    Mute Motherofdivinejebus
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    Nov 20th 2015, 3:21 PM

    Thing is Catkins, you wouldn`t hear too many blokes complaining

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    Mute Rob Healy
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:24 PM

    Filling out paperwork must have been tough. Especially when he kept dotting the t’s and crossing the i’s

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    Mute Stuart Keogh
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    Nov 20th 2015, 1:53 PM

    Why were they infiltrating protest groups?

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    Mute Warai Aoi
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    Nov 20th 2015, 8:44 PM

    To get into leadership positions and turn them into violent organisations so the rest of the police could send in Thatcher’s skull smashers. Entrapment comes to mind (and rape in the case of these rapist policemen).

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    Mute Cardio Reilly
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    Nov 20th 2015, 8:47 PM

    Seriously the mincers on the copper?

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    Mute JayK
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:02 PM

    Remember the girl who got 8 years for lying about being a boy?

    http://www.thejournal.ie/gayle-newland-court-case-sentenced-2441381-Nov2015/

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    Mute Anne Marie Devlin
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:27 PM

    was thinking the same jayk. Has the potential to redefine the concept of rape if one party consents as a result of deception

    50
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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:35 PM

    If a bloke tells a girl he loves her to get her into bed does that count as deception too?

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    Mute China Photo Daily
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    Nov 20th 2015, 8:22 PM

    If a woman marries a man for his money, is that rape?

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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Nov 20th 2015, 10:18 PM

    More importantly, is it a valid consent?

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    Mute Keith Rogers
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:38 PM

    How did he put up with the smell?

    46
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    Mute Larry Doyle
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:23 PM

    Yeah those environmental protesters are the real threat to people’s lives unlike IS who only threaten big business/government development plans.

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    Mute Robert Abbey
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    Nov 20th 2015, 3:47 PM

    They should make a calender.. for the bosseyed

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    Mute Ger Comings
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    Nov 20th 2015, 1:53 PM

    Happens here a lot too – and not just Dublin.

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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Nov 20th 2015, 1:56 PM

    How do you know?

    37
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    Mute Ger Comings
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:01 PM

    Because I know an undercover detective who was ‘married’ three times – in three different counties/with different names – with the sole aim of infiltrating gangland/terrorist families and organisations.

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    Mute Free comment ratings
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:02 PM

    He was very good at undercover so.

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    Mute Free comment ratings
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:04 PM

    *wasnt

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    Mute Donna Moss
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:07 PM

    I call bullshit on this !!!!!!

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    Mute Seb Bowyer
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:25 PM

    Call it what you want – but it goes on everywhere!

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    Mute Tim O Connor
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    Nov 20th 2015, 5:13 PM

    So he was a successful under cover detective that managed to infiltrate terrorist AND gangland organisations, presumably one of the handest tasks imaginable, and he told you all about it so you could tell everyone on the Journal about it? That seems plausible!!!

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    Mute richard kenny
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:17 PM

    Special Demonstration Unit -aptly named anyway!

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    Mute Larry Doyle
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    Nov 20th 2015, 4:55 PM

    These guys were sent,undercover,into these organisations to encourage violence and vandalism and thus allow once peaceful members to be arrested,charged and convicted, thus denying their cause any legitimacy. It is a tactic dating back to union busting in the US 100 years ago.

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    Mute yeboyyah
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:33 PM

    Looking at his photo- he naturally has a wandering eye.

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    Mute Ger Comings
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:14 PM

    When obliged to give evidence, this chaps do it ‘in camera’ – or behind screens – to protect their anonymity. Voices are distorted digitally – the same as in NI, mainland UK and virtually all EU countries.

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    Mute Kevin Mc Quillan
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    Nov 20th 2015, 2:29 PM

    Is that Zig or Zag??

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    Mute bobdebilde
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    Nov 20th 2015, 5:16 PM

    Every undercover cop in the movies does this. Sounds a lot more boring when u read about it. And a lot more creepy.

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    Mute Shane Goodwin
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    Nov 20th 2015, 9:23 PM

    James Bond is shitting him self

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    Mute molly coddled
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    Nov 20th 2015, 7:32 PM

    Read the article and this song keeps playing in my head… Karma, karma, karma, karma chameleon….

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    Mute paddy Jennings
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    Nov 20th 2015, 7:07 PM

    He’d have one eye looking at you & the other one looking for you

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    Mute Warai Aoi
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    Nov 20th 2015, 8:41 PM

    These men are being shielded from rape charges by the Met because they are policemen.

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    Mute JIMINYJELIKERS
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    Nov 20th 2015, 8:18 PM

    Seriously the bleeding eye on him

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