Today was the last day of the #spycopsinquiry for a while. The last evidence hearing of the this tranche of the inquiry was one of the more illuminating of the all the questioning of former #spycops officers so far. Though there was just as many lapses of memory for HN345 as...

... previous officers, he was more forthcoming than most. The blanket denial of any knowledge of the Mangrove Nine (subject of the recent #SmallAxe film) by the only #spycops officer who had infiltrated Black Power groups in the UK in 1971 is so completely ridiculous...

... as to suggest that he was lying about everything else he had 'forgot' too. But when the man who called himself
"Peter Fredericks" did remember things, he claimed to remember them fairly well. But it was the opinions and attitudes that he displayed which last in the mind...

... He is someone who describes themselves as "mixed heritage" but dismissed what he called the "not exactly complimentary" racist culture within the unit because he "didn't feel any hurt" whilst working to undermine anti racist groups which he admitted were purely "interested...

... in the wellbeing of those who were suffering". But the most shocking comment he came out with was his very last to the counsel to the inquiry when he was asked about fellow officers engaging in sexual relationships in their undercover identity. Likening the sexual abuse...

... of women to the sampling of a product. Reading the words from the transcript is bad enough, but when you see it delivered with a wide grim, tongue darting in & out of the mouth, with the final " it shouldn't be done" tacked onto the end with a complete lack of sincerity...