“Spycops” in Scotland: Matilda Gifford's Judicial Review – No Right to the Truth?
Author | |
DOI | 10.3366/elr.2019.0554 |
Published date | 01 May 2019 |
Date | 01 May 2019 |
Pages | 253-258 |
“There is no evidence of any systemic failings within undercover policing by Scottish police”.
The context for such discussions, unusually for policing matters in Scotland, was a UK one. Since 2015, under the orders of then Home Secretary Theresa May, an inquiry had been established into undercover policing in England and Wales.
One of the key individual London “spycops” involved in these incidents, Mark Kennedy, had operated throughout the 2000s including in Scotland where major protests had been held during the G8 summit in the summer of 2005.
In light of the above, the Scottish Government's decision of February 2018 therefore confirmed that any potential “victims” of undercover policing based in Scotland would not have access to any public inquiry process. One person who felt aggrieved by this was Matilda “Tilly” Gifford. She was an environmental activist in the “Plane Stupid” group which undertakes direct action around airports.
To continue reading
Request your trial