Heather Millgate

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This article is part of the Undercover Research Portal - a project of the Undercover Research Group in conjunction with SpinWatch.

Heather Mary Millgate, a trained solicitor, was a director of private security company Global Open. She was also associated with the private security firm Tokra, set-up by undercover police officer Mark Kennedy.[1]

Global Open

Director

Ms Heather Millgate was appointed to the board of directors of Global Open on 5 April 2008, where she acted as their solicitor and also provided her marketing expertise. She resigned her directorship of Global Open on 31 August 2008. Heather Millgate and Alison Leeming (a fellow director at Global Open) travelled to biotechnology conferences to promote to "forward intelligence provision" which is the mainstay of Global Open's services. [2] According to The Guardian, Global Open was set up in 2001 by Rod Leeming, a former Special Branch officer. The company keeps a "discreet watch" on protest groups for clients including E.ON.[3]

An article by The Guardian, dealing with the undercover police officer Mark Kennedy reveals information about the private security sector. After leaving the police,

In February 2010 – a month before resigning – Kennedy set up Tokra Limited, at an address in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire. Calling himself a logistics officer, Kennedy registered himself as sole director of the company. Intriguingly, the address he used is the work address of Heather Millgate, a solicitor specialising in personal injury, and a former director of Global Open, a private security firm.
In February last year, Millgate went from being a marketing manager to a director of Global Open. On 31 March, Tokra changed its address from Millgate's work address to one in Basingstoke. On 12 April, Kennedy applied for Tokra to be dissolved. Within a few days of that application, he resigned from the police. Tokra was finally dissolved on the 17 August. On 31 August, Millgate resigned as director of Global Open.[3]

Controversy

Global Open first came to public attention in 2007 when it was implicated in the case of Paul Mercer, a friend of the then Conservative shadow defence minister, Julian Lewis, who was exposed by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade of spying for the arms firm BAE.[3] [4] In this scandal, Global Open facilitated the setting up of a shell company, Ligne Deux Associates through which Mercer would paid for his work, a structure that bears similarity with Tokra and Mark Kennedy(see below).

Subsequent Companies

Private Security Firm Tokra

Tokra was set-up by undercover police officer Mark Kennedy (aka 'Mark Stone') who had infiltrated environmental and other protest movements. It subsequently emerged that Kennedy approached in January 2010, while he was still with the police, to work for them. He subsequently resigned and working out his notice period, he joined Global Open, apparently channeling his work throughTokra and another firm, Black Star High Access.[3].[5] It also emerged that electric utilty firm E.ON was a client Global Open and its chief executive Paul Golby had lobbyied the Government in January 2010 for heavier sentences for protestors arrested during the 2009 Climate Camp at the E.ON owned Kingsnorth power station. Kennedy had been a part of the Kingsnorth protests.[6]

Tokra Ltd, established 09/02/2010, was registered to Millgate's then business address:

36 Orchard Drive Linslade Leighton Buzzard Bedfordshire LU7 2PL[2]

On 13/03/2010, the address was changed to:

Tokra Ltd Suite 2029 6, Slington House Rannkine Road Basingstoke RG24 8PH[2]

Tokra Ltd was wound up on 17/08/2010.[2]

Solicitors' practice

Ms Millgate since established a LLP with another solicitor, Ms Barbara Woodridge.[2] The company Millgate Woodbridge Ltd No.07261650 is registered to:

11 Jacques Lane
Clophill
Bedfordshire
MK45 4BS[7]

The company was registered on 21 May 2010 and its website, www.millgates.com, on 28 December 2009 [8] However, although the company still carries her name, as of May 2014, Millgate was no longer a director[9] and her details were removed from their website.[10] The website has ceased functioning.[11]

Biography

Born 1959,[12] It appears that in 1988 she was a civilian staff employee at Linslade police station in Buckinghamshire under Insp. David Biles[13] (now Chairman of Bedfordshire Crimestoppers[14]).

Millgate qualified as a solicitor in 2001 and specialised in all types of personal injury claims.[8] She went to work for Osborne Morris and Morgan Solicitors of Leighton Buzzard. Having survived cancer, she was chosen as a running buddy in the London Marathon by BBC celebrity Sue Thearle[15] on behalf of Headway,[16] Headway is the National Brain Injury charity and Millgate appears to have retained a connection with it.[8] (Note, Barbara Woodbridge has been a director of Headway East Northants since 4 June 2009.[17])


Contact

Millgates
36 Orchard Drive
Linslade
Leighton Buzzard
Bedfordshire LU7 2PL
Telephone: 01525 864820
Fax: 0845 5280595
Email: heather.millgate@millgates.com
website: http://millgates.com/Default.aspx[8]

Notes

  1. ↑ Rob Evans, Amelia Hill, Paul Lewis and Patrick Kingsley Mark Kennedy: secret policeman's sideline as corporate spy The Guardian, 13/01/11, accessed 17/01/11
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Campaigns Security Following the paper trail 16/01/11, accessed 17/01/11
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Rob Evans, Amelia Hill, Paul Lewis and Patrick Kingsley Mark Kennedy: secret policeman's sideline as corporate spy The Guardian, 13/01/11, accessed 17/ 01/11
  4. ↑ Legal briefing, CAMPAIGN AGAINST ARMS TRADE v PAUL MERCER & LIGNEDEUX ASSOCIATES, Leigh Day & Co. 18 April 2007.
  5. ↑ Caroline Graham I've always respected the police. But the world of undercover policing is grey and murky The Daily Mail, 17/01/11, accessed 18/01/11
  6. ↑ James Ball, E.ON lobbied for stiff sentences against Kingsnorth activists, papers show , The Guardian, 19 February 2013 (accessed 10 July 2015).
  7. ↑ Companies House, Millgate Woodbridge Limited
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Home, Millgates Solicitors' Website, accessed 17 January 2011.
  9. ↑ Millgate Woodbridge Ltd, CompanyCheck.co.uk, accessed 8 December 2014.
  10. ↑ About Us, Millgates Solicitors' Website, accessed 8 December 2014.
  11. ↑ Undercover Research Group: attempted viewing, 10 July 2015.
  12. ↑ Director Summary: Heather Mary Millgate, CompanyCheck.co.uk, undated (accessed 10 July 2015).
  13. ↑ Nostalgia: Reflecting on policing changes in Leighton-Linslade, Leighton Buzzard Observer, 29 December 2013 (10 July 2015).
  14. ↑ Crimestoppers, Community continue to play key role in fight against crime as charity releases end of year figures for Bedfordshire, press release, 3 June 2014 (10 July 2015).
  15. ↑ Solicitor who beat cancer runs in the marathon, Leighton Buzzard Observer, 17 February 2005 (10 July 2015).
  16. ↑ February's information (Breakfast programmes), BBC Online, 2005(accessed 10 July 2015).
  17. ↑ Director Summary: Barbara Woodbridge, CompanyCheck.co.uk, undated (accessed 10 July 2015).
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