Sex, Lies & Spies

For decades, undercover police officers infiltrated protest movements, assuming false identities and gathering intelligence on activists. One of the former officers was Andy Coles. In his first major interview on the subject, Andy Coles denies allegations that, while operating undercover in animal rights groups in the early 1990s, he had a sexual relationship with ‘Jessica’, then a teenage activist. Jessica says he deceived her, and that what she believed was a genuine relationship was in fact an abuse of power. The programme examines the evidence at the heart of their dispute, including witness testimony, handwritten letters and material presented to the Undercover Policing Inquiry. It also explores Andy Coles' wider role in the secretive Special Demonstration Squad, his authorship of the unit's tradecraft manual, and the scandal that erupted when undercover officers were revealed to have deceived dozens of women.
Set against one of Britain's longest-running public inquiries, this is a gripping story of secrecy, surveillance and accountability.