Three ex-wives of Met Police officers who duped other women into sexual relationships during undercover operations demand apology from Scotland Yard, 'spy cops' inquiry hears

Three ex-wives of Metropolitan Police officers who had sexual relationships with other women while working undercover today called on Scotland Yard to apologise.

The women, who are core participants of the Undercover Policing Inquiry, only found out about their partners' infidelity from media reports on controversial police tactics.

Senior Met officers have apologised to women who were tricked into relationships with the men unaware of their fake identity, but not to their wives.

In an opening statement on their behalf to the inquiry today, Angus McCullough QC said: 'They want some recognition: recognition of their existence and their roles, of the impact and damage on them and their children.

'They can see the apology from the Metropolitan Police, hard fought for, which has been received by some of the women who were targeted by undercover officers. They cannot understand why they have not received an equivalent apology.

'They sacrificed so many aspects of their lives for the police and not once has anyone from the Met acknowledged, let alone apologised for, what has been done to them and their families.'

The Special Demonstration Squad , which existed between 1968 and 2008, and the undercover section of the National Public Order Intelligence Unit , which existed between 1999 and 2010, are under scrutiny over tactics used. 

The Special Demonstration Squad was operational between 1968 and 2008 while the National Public Order Intelligence Unit worked between 1999 and 2010

In an opening statement on the behalf of three former wives to the inquiry today, Angus McCullough QC said: 'They want some recognition: recognition of their existence and their roles, of the impact and damage on them and their children'

Undercover officers duped women into sexual relationships without revealing their true identities, used the names of dead children without their families' knowledge and spied on family justice campaigns as well as political and social groups.

Several women who were tricked into relationships have already received compensation from the Met. 

Then-home secretary Theresa May set up the inquiry in England and Wales in 2015 after condemnation of the tactics used by the two secret units. 

Methods employed by the police spies included using the names of dead children as cover identities without their families' consent.

In a statement streamed online, Mr McCullough told the inquiry that the women had supported their husbands without backing from the force, and had lived in fear of reprisals, both during their marriage and after the truth was discovered.

He said the women 'found out that their marriages were based on lies' and that their husbands' jobs 'had been vehicles for the worst kind of infidelity'.

'They have been left to reconstruct their lives, and those of their children, forever tainted by their connection with men who have behaved so appallingly,' he said.

'What once brought them pride, now brings them shame and fear.'

The unit favoured using married men because of the belief that a family life would keep them grounded.

Undercover Met Police officers didn't deliberately target murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence's family but they were 'collateral' in other ongoing intelligence operations, 'spy cops' inquiry hears 

Three undercover officers monitored people campaigning for justice for Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered in 1993 

The public inquiry was also told today that the Stephen Lawrence family justice campaign was not deliberately targeted by 'spy cops', but was 'collateral' in other ongoing intelligence operations. 

Oliver Sanders QC for Scotland Yard said the force 'did not infiltrate or target justice campaigns – including the Stephen Lawrence campaign, Members of Parliament or trade unions'. 

The lawyer claimed it is 'not right to suggest' these groups were 'penetrated or infiltrated', and instead insisted that 'there's an important distinction between direct targeting and... collateral collection of other intelligence'.

At least three undercover officers monitored people campaigning for justice for Lawrence, who was stabbed to death by racists in 1993.  

Police with the Special Demonstration Squad also monitored Duwayne Brooks, who was with Lawrence on the night of the killing. 

A public inquiry into the bungled investigation into Lawrence's murder six years later famously concluded that the Met was 'institutionally racist'.

The undercover officers and their commanding officers are due to give evidence at the inquiry, which is being led by the retired judge Sir John Mitting.

Giving evidence on the third day of the public inquiry, Mr Sanders QC said: 'The fact is the SDS was not involved in any trade union blacklisting. There's no evidence for that and indeed there was no reason why it would have been. 

It had very little involvement or interest in trade unions other than collaterally, as an incidence to its main reporting work.

'Secondly, the SDS did not infiltrate or target justice campaigns – including the Stephen Lawrence campaign, Members of Parliament or trade unions.

'Such individuals and groups were referred to in SDS intelligence reports, if and to the extent that they came into contact with its true targets.

'We say it's not right to suggest that anyone in those categories was a target of the SDS in the sense of a group against which an undercover officer was deployed, an undercover officer penetrated or infiltrated.

'There's an important distinction between direct targeting and… collateral collection of other intelligence.'  

Scotland Yard says there was no evidence that the family and Brooks were directly targeted by the SDS, though a Met lawyer yesterday said the force 'remains fully committed to a frank and full investigation of these matters'. 

Members of trade unions were blacklisted from work after the groups were infiltrated by police, and family justice campaigns were also spied upon.

There were also miscarriages of justice when undercover officers failed to reveal their true identities in criminal court proceedings, the inquiry was told.

The women will tell the inquiry they were told their husbands were targeting 'serious and violent criminals or extremists, not protesters that posed no significant threat to the undercover officers or their families'.

Mr McCullough said: 'This aspect is particularly important given the enormous stress that the fear of reprisals caused for each of the women, both during and after deployments.'

Earlier, the inquiry heard that former undercover officer turned whistleblower Peter Francis wants a guarantee that he will not face prosecution for lifting the lid on secret police tactics.

He made a series of disclosures to journalists between 2010 and 2013 about practices within the SDS, in breach of the Official Secrets Act.

If he were prosecuted for passing on the information, he would face the loss of his police pension.

Making an opening statement on his behalf, David Lock QC said: 'He has sought assurances from the Metropolitan Police that he will not be prosecuted for his original public interest disclosures which led to the setting up of this inquiry, and has received none.

'He thus continues to face the prospect of paying a very high personal and financial price for acting in the public interest.

'Whilst we understand that giving assurances about prosecutions may be difficult, we invite the commissioner to give him a cast iron assurance that no action will ever be taken against him or his police pension because of his past disclosures, before he gives his evidence in person to the inquiry.'

The mammoth investigation is being heard in tranches by date.

The hearings will include opening statements by core participants, followed by evidence on the activities of the SDS between 1968 and 1972. 

The first evidence heard by the undercover policing inquiry will focus on the roots of a shadowy Metropolitan Police unit.

Counsel to the inquiry David Barr QC said in his opening statement on Monday that the SDS was set up amid protests over the Vietnam War in the late 1960s.

There were official concerns that public anger over the issue and unrest in Europe, particularly in Paris, signalled that far-Left political groups in England and Wales were planning disorder on home soil.

Initially the SDS, also known as the Special Operations Squad and nicknamed the Hairies because of undercover officers' hippie appearance, targeted only far-Left groups and those associated with Irish civil rights campaigns.

At first officers were deployed undercover for weeks or months, rather than the years-long assignments seen later.

Documents from the time suggested that the unit had only a budget of a few thousand pounds per year, excluding salaries, between 1968 and 1973, whereas in fact it had funding of £500,000.

The start of the Troubles in the late 1960s is thought to have fuelled ongoing SDS interest in groups campaigning on Irish issues in England and Wales, and meant the unit continued to exist. 

More than 200 witnesses, ranging from the undercover officers, their superiors, Whitehall officials and politicians, are due to give evidence to the inquiry.  

Yesterday Peter Skelton QC for the Met told the inquiry: 'It is necessary to acknowledge the real concern about the way undercover policing has been conducted in the past.

'The Metropolitan Police Service fully appreciates that the inquiry will be properly and directly informed by testimony of the experiences of those affected by undercover police operations.

'The MPS is acutely aware of their continuing anger and distress.' 

In his opening statement delivered via a live video stream on Monday, counsel to the inquiry David Barr QC set out the background to the investigation and why it was established in 2015.

He said: 'This inquiry has been set up as a result of profound and wide-ranging concerns arising from the activities of two undercover police units.

'First, the Special Demonstration Squad, which existed between 1968 and 2008, second, the undercover element of the National Public Order Intelligence Unit, which existed between 1999 and 2010.

'It has emerged that for decades undercover police officers infiltrated a significant number of political and other activist groups, in deployments which typically lasted for years.

'The information reported by these undercover police officers was extensive. It covered the activities of the groups in question, and their members. It also extended to the groups and individuals with whom they came into contact, including elected representatives.

'Reporting covered not only the political or campaigning activities of those concerned but other aspects of their personal lives.

'Groups mainly on the far Left but also the far Right of the political spectrum were infiltrated, as well as groups campaigning for social, environmental or other change.'