A former undercover officer of the Metropolitan Police of London, Mark Jenner, internally identified as agent HN15, has begun to testify before the UK Undercover Policing Inquiry, a public process that examines decades of covert operations against social, political, and trade union movements. Jenner operated during the nineties under the false identity of Mark Cassidy, infiltrating a left-wing activist group in East London, primarily linked to the Colin Roach Centre, a community and anti-racist organization, according to reports from BBC.comhand in hand with the researcher Ayshea Buksh.
One of the most serious aspects of the case is that Jenner maintained an intimate and cohabiting relationship for five yearswith an activist known as ” Alison ” (a fictitious name), while simultaneously being married and having children. The relationship included cohabitation, holidays in the United Kingdom and abroad, attendance at weddings, religious celebrations, and family gatherings. Alison considered Jenner her stable partner and was completely unaware that he was undercover police.
As stated in the investigation, this relationship was not clearly or honestly reflected in the official reports that Jenner submitted to his superiors at Scotland Yard. While with Alison, several trips were recorded administratively, such as operational meetings or follow-ups on political activities, when in reality they were personal holidays, including trips to Israel, Thailand, and Amsterdam. The personal photographs and videos presented in the investigation have confirmed this double life.
Alison recently testified before the investigation, just like Jenner’s ex-wife, who appeared anonymously. Both women have explained how they were simultaneously deceived for years, and they have pointed out that the police system allowed—through action or omission—this sustained deception. According to Alison, there are so many layers of lies that it is hard to believe that the direct commanders were not aware of it, or that they acted with serious incompetence.
During his initial statement, Jenner claimed that, in the context of infiltration, he considered it “necessary” to engage in sexual relations with women to preserve his cover, although he denied that sexual gratification was a benefit of the job. This statement has been met with strong indignation from the victims and their representatives, as it reinforces the perception that intimate relationships were used as an operational tool, despite the profound emotional impact on the affected individuals.
Alison has described the psychological consequences of discovering the truth as devastating, stating that she was very angry, deeply distressed, and physiologically altered. Over time, she has reinterpreted multiple episodes of the relationship as signs of deception: inexplicable absences, contradictions about his family, and even the discovery of a bank card belonging to M. Jenner, which he justified with a false story.
The case of Jenner is not an isolated incident. The investigation has revealed that at least 50 women may have been similarly deceived by undercover agents over several decades. This pattern has been described by victims as a form ofinstitutional abuse, with clear components of sexism, emotional manipulation, and violation of fundamental rights. Alison, along with other affected women, has promoted the platform Police Spies Out of Our Lives, aimed at raising awareness of the cases and demanding political and legal accountability.
From an institutional standpoint, the Metropolitan Police has publicly acknowledged the serious misconduct and completely unacceptable behaviour of some undercover officers and their superiors. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Jon Savell has issued an unreserved apology to the affected women, admitting that these relationships were abusive, misleading, andwrong, and that they have eroded public trust in a policing tactic that, in other contexts, is considered legitimate for ensuring safety.
The police maintain that undercover work has been profoundly reformed in recent decades, with much stricter legal, ethical, and oversight frameworks. However, victims demand that these reforms be accompanied by real accountability, including the withdrawal of honours and recognitions from officers involved in abuse cases, as well as legislative changes that explicitly prohibit intimate relationships in undercover operations.
The investigation remains open, and Mark Jenner will testify for several more days. The affected women demand complete truth, clear responsibilities, and the recognition that the damage suffered was not due to individual abuse, but rather the result of a system that allowed and normalised deeply abusive practices under the guise of state security.
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