ITV documentary to see spycops scandal victims speak on camera for first time

A new ITV documentary will see victims of the spycops scandal, where undercover police officers initiated long-term, sexual relationships with activists they were spying on, speak for the first time on camera.

The Undercover Police Scandal: Love And Lies Exposed will air this year on ITV1 and ITVX, and see five women speak about the scandal, which saw officers steal the identities of deceased children to create new aliases and even father children with the women they spied on, before leaving them.

A statement from the women who feature in the series, read: “We’ve been working together to expose this policing scandal since we first met in 2011.

“Our lives were devastated by the actions of undercover police and this powerful documentary highlights how we fought back against dehumanising spycops intrusion and abuse, which was sanctioned by the state for decades to undermine progressive campaigns for change.

“By shining a light on the role of these undemocratic, secret, political policing units, we hope the series is part of a dramatic shift away from the culture of misogyny that the police and security services have normalised and puts pressure on decision makers to reverse the current legislation that places undercover officers completely beyond the law.”

In the programme, the women will speak about the similarities between their experiences, the way they were seduced into the relationships and the letters they received when they were abandoned by those they loved.

The scandal, which took place for more than 40 years from 1968 onwards and affected more than 60 women, was the subject of a decade-long, £88m public inquiry into police tactics.

The documentary will be produced by RAW, makers of Netflix hits The Tinder Swindler, The Puppet Master: Hunting The Ultimate Conman, and American Nightmare.

Jo Clinton-Davis, controller of factual ITV, said of the programme: “When I first learned about this story, I was determined it needed to be made for a TV audience – and made for ITV.

“That these five women finally agreed to give ITV and RAW up close and personal access is testament to their courage and resilience.

“They have been up against a state-sponsored operation and with many of them turning detective, such a twist in the story could be the stuff of a thriller – except this is all too shockingly true. It’s a British scandal of real significance.”

The scandal has previously been the subject of BBC crime drama Sherwood.