Claims extracted
26
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
4%
1 of 26 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
66/100
The Guardian's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
An undercover police officer who infiltrated leftwing and animal rights campaign groups appears to have lied to the spycops inquiry when he claimed he did not have a sexual relationship as part of his deployment.
asserted
he → infiltrate → deployment
The officer who used the fake name Dave Evans had originally testified that he did not have any relationships while using his fake identity.
asserted
he → use → identity
But this week, he was forced to admit to the inquiry that he did have a relationship with a woman that lasted at least six months.
asserted
that → force → woman
Under questioning, he said it was “possible” that it could have continued for two years, but could not recall how long.
uncertain
it → say → years
Evans made the admission after campaigners drew evidence of the relationship to the attention of the spycops inquiry.
asserted
campaigners → make → inquiry
A central issue of the inquiry is how the undercover officers frequently had sexual relations with women, but did not disclose to them their true identities.
asserted
officers → have → identities
Four of the spies fathered, or are alleged to have fathered, children with women they met while working undercover.
asserted
they → father → women
Evans was one of about 139 undercover officers who were sent by their police superiors to spy on tens of thousands of mainly leftwing activists over more than four decades.
asserted
who → send → decades
He infiltrated the Socialist Workers party and animal rights groups including London Animal Action between 1998 and 2005.
asserted
He → infiltrate → 1998
In his first statement to the inquiry signed four years ago, he wrote: “I did not engage in any sexual activity whilst in my undercover identity.”
asserted
I → sign → identity
But in a second statement that he signed this year, he admitted that “with the benefit of hindsight”, he should have disclosed that he had a relationship with a woman known as Olivia.
asserted
he → sign → Olivia
He made the admission after the inquiry had been told about his relationship with Olivia by campaigners.
asserted
inquiry → make → campaigners
This evidence was mainly supplied by Helen Steel, a social justice campaigner who was a defendant in the celebrated McLibel case.
asserted
who → supply → case
Steel was herself deceived into a two-year relationship by another undercover officer, John Dines.
asserted
Steel → deceive → officer
She spent 18 years searching for Dines; at one point senior police officers spent £2.5m of public funds to relocate him to ensure that she did not find him.
asserted
she → spend → him
Evans was asked by Don Ramble, a barrister at the inquiry, if he had lied in his first statement.
asserted
he → ask → statement
He replied:”I accept that it was not completely truthful with hindsight.
asserted
it → accept → hindsight
He said he had not originally disclosed the relationship to the inquiry “because she was not an activist nor part of any target group, I did not feel this was relevant”.
asserted
this → say → group
During his covert deployment, Evans pretended to be a landscape gardener as part of his false persona.
asserted
Evans → pretend → persona
He met Olivia in 1998 when he attended a college course in his fake identity.
asserted
he → meet → identity
At no point did he reveal to her that he was actually a police officer.
asserted
he → reveal → her
The inquiry heard evidence that Evans and Olivia together attended social events with animal rights campaigners and at least one demonstration.
asserted
Evans → hear → campaigners
Olivia is not giving evidence to the inquiry.
asserted
Olivia → give → inquiry
The spycops inquiry has been scrutinising wide-ranging wrongdoing committed by undercover officers.
asserted
inquiry → scrutinise → officers
The government is considering whether the remaining stages of the inquiry, which has been running for more than a decade, should continue in a different format.
asserted
which → consider → format
Victims of the surveillance however say that any move to cut short the inquiry would result in a cover-up.
asserted
move → say → up
The Aporia
