An undercover police officer has admitted misleading the public inquiry into covert policing after initially denying that he had a sexual relationship while working under a false identity.
The officer, known by the undercover name Dave Evans, previously told the inquiry that he had not engaged in any sexual activity during his deployment. However, he has now acknowledged that he had a relationship lasting at least six months with a woman identified as Olivia.
Evans said it was possible the relationship lasted as long as two years, although he could not remember the exact duration. He met Olivia in 1998 while posing as a landscape gardener and never disclosed that he was a police officer.
He said he initially failed to mention the relationship because Olivia was not an activist or member of a group targeted by his undercover operation.
The admission followed evidence presented by campaigners to the inquiry, which is examining the activities of about 139 undercover officers who infiltrated political and campaign groups over several decades.
The inquiry has heard extensive evidence of officers forming intimate relationships while concealing their true identities. The latest disclosure comes as the government considers changes to the inquiry, which has been examining allegations of misconduct for more than a decade.
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