Key facts
- Prosecutors are considering criminal charges against 12 former police officers.
- The officers are accused of misconduct in public office related to undercover operations.
- Mark Kennedy, an undercover officer, is a key figure in the scandal.
- Kennedy deceived women into intimate relationships while undercover.
- This potential prosecution would be the first criminal charges in the spycops scandal.
Prosecutors are reviewing evidence to determine if criminal charges should be filed against 12 former police officers involved in the controversial 'spycops' scandal. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is examining a file of evidence concerning potential misconduct during undercover operations, including those led by officer Mark Kennedy.
Kennedy, a central figure in the scandal, infiltrated environmental and leftwing groups for six years, deceiving women into intimate relationships and lying in court. The CPS is considering charges of misconduct in public office against him and 11 other officers. If prosecutions proceed, it would mark the first time officers involved in these operations, which spanned from 1968 to at least 2010, face criminal charges for unauthorized wrongdoing.
The spycops scandal has exposed a range of misconduct, including sexual relationships with targets, false testimony in court, and identity theft using deceased children's details. Operation Montrose, initiated in 2015 under the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), investigated Kennedy and others. Separately, campaigner Kate Wilson won a landmark victory in 2021 when judges ruled that police had grossly violated her human rights, concluding that senior officers were aware of or negligent regarding Kennedy's relationship with her.