Revealed: at least 25 UK ‘spy cops’ had sex with deceived members of public

Clockwise from top left: Mark Jenner aka ‘Mark Cassidy’; Mark Kennedy aka ‘Mark Stone’; ‘Marco Jacobs’; John Dines aka ‘John Barker’; Jim Boyling aka ‘Jim Sutton’; Carlo Soracchi aka ‘Carlo Neri’; ‘Lynn Watson’; Bob Lambert aka ‘Bob Robinson’. Composite: Guardian design

At least 25 undercover police officers who infiltrated political groups formed sexual relationships with members of the public without disclosing their true identity to them, the Guardian can disclose.

The total shows how women were deceived on a systemic basis over more than three decades. It equates to nearly a fifth of all the police spies who were sent to infiltrate political movements.