Woman at centre of allegations against former spy cop and current Peterborough City Councillor hits out at police investigations
The woman known as “Jessica” was responding to a statement issued by Andy Coles to the Peterborough Telegraph after his role infiltrating animal liberation groups was confirmed by the Undercover Policing Inquiry, which is investigating undercover police operations.
A Channel 4 investigation last May featured claims Mr Coles had a relationship with Jessica, a young activist, while working as an undercover officer.
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Hide AdThe inquiry is now asking people who came into contact with Mr Coles when he was under the cover name of Andy Davey to come forward.
Mr Coles, Conservative member for Fletton and Woodston on Peterborough City Council, issued a statement to the PT on Monday which he said he could only now make because he had been named by the Undercover Policing Inquiry.
The statement not only confirmed his spy past but also reflected on the Independent Police Complaints Commission and Met Police’s earlier decisions that there were no charges for him to answer.
He said: “I am pleased at last to be able to confirm that in my past I was deployed as an undercover police officer to infiltrate some of the most committed and violent animal liberation extremists operating in the UK in the early 1990s.
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Hide Ad“I am also pleased to confirm that both the IPCC and the Metropolitan Police have investigated the lurid claims made by a woman using the pseudonym “Jessica” and have told me I face no charges or any further investigation into her allegations, which I am now able to deny publicly.”
Responding to Mr Coles, solicitors representing Jessica said: “It is quite incorrect and misleading for Mr Coles to assert that ‘the IPCC and Metropolitan Police have investigated the lurid claims made by this woman’. They have not done so.
“No one has spoken to or obtained a statement from Jessica for the purposes of any investigation, therefore no proper investigation has been undertaken.
“Jessica will now make a formal complaint of criminal conduct against Andy Coles to Operation Herne and provide evidence that will undermine his denials.”
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Hide AdOperation Herne is the Met’s investigation into the activities of undercover officers.
Mr Coles said: “ The allegation the ALF activist known as “Jessica” makes that I had a sexual relationship with her for over a year while undercover are completely untrue. Both the IPCC and Operation Hearne have investigated the specific allegations and chosen not to take any action. As I have said, the proper place for this is in the Undercover Policing Inquiry”.
The PT contacted city council leader Cllr John Holdich after Mr Coles was named by the inquiry and released his statement to the PT.
Cllr Holdich said: “I have always believed you’re innocent until proven guilty. Therefore I have always supported Andy.
“It seems to me he has been exonerated.”
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Hide AdMr Coles was previously the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire but resigned when the allegations against him first surfaced.
At the time he said the coverage was “significantly impacting” on his ability to carry out the role.