"Senior police officers praised an undercover officer who had lied to a court about his real identity during a prosecution of environmental activists, secret documents aired at the spycops public inquiry have revealed. Jim Boyling, an undercover officer, gave evidence under his fake identity when he was prosecuted while masquerading as an activist. He was prosecuted alongside six campaigners for public order offences, but senior officers decided not to tell the court that he was actually a police spy."
"An internal police review concluded in 2009 that the undercover officers in the covert Scotland Yard unit the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) did, with their management's knowledge, blessing and support, mislead the courts. The review concluded that the deceitful tactic prejudiced the rights of activists to a fair trial, describing it as grossly unprofessional and completely off piste' from accepted practice."
Senior police authorised an undercover officer to lie about his identity while giving evidence during the prosecution of environmental activists and later praised his conduct in court. Two activists had convictions overturned when the deception emerged. An inquiry led by Sir John Mitting is examining how many activists were wrongly convicted after decades of a deliberate policy of concealing undercover officers' real identities from courts. A 2009 internal review found that the Special Demonstration Squad, with managerial knowledge and support, misled courts, prejudiced defendants' fair-trial rights, and used grossly unprofessional tactics. Evidence shows identity concealment in multiple trials between 1970 and 1998.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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