HN72

This article is part of the Undercover Research Portal at Powerbase - investigating corporate and police spying on activists

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Part of a series on undercover police officers
'HN72'
Alias:	unknown
Deployment:	short period in 1980s
Unit:	Special Demonstration Squad
Targets:	one group, unknown

HN72 is the cipher given to a former undercover officer with the Special Demonstration Squad who was deployed for a short period in the 1980s into an unnamed group. Later, after the Macpherson Inquiry he held a significant managerial position in the unit..

John Mitting, Chair of the Undercover Policing Inquiry, stated in April 2018, he was minded to alow HN72 to remain anonymous within the Inquiry, with both his real and cover names being restricted. In 60s & fully retired, but has has a heart-attack in 2009. Was symptom free until 2017 - telling Prof. Knight, a cardiologist, that the primary source of his distress is the prospect of his identify being revealed rather than giving evience.

• For details of the N-numbers cipher system see the N officers page.

Spying on the Lawrence family

Mitting wrote of HN72:

He has important evidence to give, principally about his performance of his duties as a manager and the activities of the deployed undercover officers when he was. He was also noted by Herne investigating officers to have stated that HN81 had been tasked to infiltrate the Stephen Lawrence campaign at the suggestion of the then Deputy Commissioner. It is important that, if possible, this evidence should be given publicly and in a manner which permits the public to judge for itself its truthfulness and reliability.... the best,perhaps only, means of receiving his important evidence is for it to be given under a cypher. A restriction order in respect of both real and cover names is therefore required.

Provided evidence that HN81's tasking to spy on the Lawrence family came from Commissioner Stevens (Ellison, p. 253; Herne II, 21.1.15 & 21.2). Operation Herne told Ellison that N72 did not serve with SDS until after the Macpherson Inquiry so his account should be treated as hearsay; Stevens also denied this (Ellison, p. 253).

In the Undercover Policing Inquiry

• 3 July 2018: the Inquiry reiterated Mitting's intention to grant the officer full anonymity and published a number of open / gisted document relation to the application, including:

• Open application for a restriction order (anonymity) re: HN72, Metropolitan Police, 26 February 2018 (real name only).
• Application for restriction order (anonymity) in respect of HN72's real and cover names, MPS Designated Lawyers Team, undated
• Gist of medical evidence provided in support of HN72's application, containing gists of two reports - from Dr. Knight of 3 April 2018, regarding HN72 having a heart condition, and a psychiatric report from Dr. Humphrey Needham-Bennett of 5 April 2018 (saying 'concluded that HN72 had a symptom profile consistent with a moderate depressive episode with a risk that the symptoms would be exacerbated should he be required to give evidence in his own name or publicly about the discharge of his managerial duties'.)
• Personal Impact Statement of HN72 (redacted)
• N72 - Risk Assessment, 28 May 2018 (Adrian Baxter)
• Inquiry's gist of additional material from HN72's closed risk assessment

• 26 April 2018: minded to grant full anonymity.
• 20 Feb 2018, directions issued that applications for restriction orders to be submitted by end of Feb 2018.
• 14 Nov 2017: extension sought to deal with in a future tranche.