Britain: Trial Collapses After Undercover Officer Changes Sides
January 10th, 2011Woops.
Via: BBC:
The trial of six green campaigners has collapsed after an undercover policeman who had infiltrated their group offered to give evidence on their behalf.
The six were charged with conspiring to shut down the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in Nottingham in 2009.
The case was due to start on Monday, but was abandoned after Pc Mark Kennedy contacted the defence team to say he would be prepared to help them.
The prosecution subsequently dropped their case.
Research Credit: PW
Posted in COINTELPRO | Top Of Page
Kevin, I think you need a new section called “Undercover agent inciting violence” or something like that. Most terror plot I can remember had an undercover agent who was the one who radicalized the group and was the one who brang explosive to the group,etc.
In this case there was no terror involved, but a similar situation apply.
Type COINTELPRO into a search engine.
Ok I now realize that my understanding of COINTELPRO was flawed. This seems to fit perfectly these kind of stories.
You can watch the trailer for a film about it here: http://www.freedomarchives.org/Cointelpro.html (film due Spring 2011) Although this film is focused more on US racial and cultural COINTELPRO over the years, in spite of this, watch it anyway when it comes out as the same techniques apply to any of us that they want to infiltrate and subvert.
The latest news today on this case is at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12158198 and on the linked audio PC Mark Kennedy says ‘I’m not the only one – not by a long shot. It’s like a hammer to crack a nut… when you start to look at the way the law is used, and how it’s manipulated..’
From the article:
“Lord McDonald, who was Director of Public Prosecutions during the time Pc Kennedy was undercover, has questioned the decision to deploy him.
He told the BBC: “This is not serious, outrageous, dangerous crime that threatens the state.
“We’re talking about a long-term police operation. A single officer embedded for seven years.
“This is not a terrorist organisation. I do think there is a serious question of proportionality.””
and
“Former Met deputy commissioner Bob Quick told the BBC’s Today programme that the use of undercover officers was “an established tactic” for the police.
“There are some risks attached, and occasionally things do go wrong,” he said.
“Undercover officers are uniquely vulnerable individuals. Whilst they are, in my experience over 30 years, very dedicated, brave and very professional, they are vulnerable because they are being constantly exposed to potentially corrupting and criminal influences and all sorts of relationships they get into to try and become effective in securing intelligence about criminality.”
But he said it was “extremely rare” for undercover officers to change their position and begin to sympathise with the groups they had infiltrated.”