Key facts
- An undercover police officer admitted to lying to the spycops inquiry about having a sexual relationship.
- The officer, who used the fake name Dave Evans, initially claimed he did not have relationships while deployed under a false identity.
- He admitted to having a relationship with a woman known as Olivia.
- Evans stated he did not originally disclose the relationship because Olivia was not an activist.
- The spycops inquiry is examining widespread wrongdoing by undercover officers, including sexual relationships with women they did not identify as police officers.
- Evans infiltrated leftwing and animal rights groups between 1998 and 2005.
An undercover police officer, who infiltrated leftwing and animal rights campaign groups using the fake name Dave Evans, has admitted to lying to the spycops inquiry about having a sexual relationship during his deployment. Evans initially testified that he did not engage in any sexual activity while using his undercover identity.
However, under questioning this week, he conceded that he did have a relationship with a woman known as Olivia that lasted at least six months, and possibly up to two years, though he could not recall the exact duration. This admission came after campaigners brought evidence of the relationship to the inquiry's attention. Evans stated that he did not originally disclose the relationship because Olivia was not an activist and he did not consider it relevant.
The spycops inquiry is investigating widespread wrongdoing by undercover officers, a central issue of which is the frequent sexual relationships officers had with women without revealing their true identities. Four officers are alleged to have fathered children with women they met while undercover. Evans was one of approximately 139 officers deployed to spy on tens of thousands of activists over more than four decades, infiltrating groups such as the Socialist Workers party and London Animal Action between 1998 and 2005. He had posed as a landscape gardener and met Olivia in 1998.
During his covert deployment, Evans and Olivia attended social events and at least one demonstration together. The inquiry heard that Evans's initial statement, signed four years ago, stated he did not engage in sexual activity, while a second statement signed this year admitted that with hindsight, he should have disclosed the relationship. Helen Steel, a campaigner who was herself deceived by another undercover officer, John Dines, provided evidence that led to Evans's admission.