N officers 2

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 the Undercover Policing Inquiry
N Officers list
Description:	A list of N & HN cyphers used to designate individual officers in the Inquiry and by Operation Herne (Part 2)

Police officers cited in the Undercover Policing Inquiry (UCPI) are generally designated by a cypher / nominal starting with N or HN followed by a number. The practice of assigning these cyphers was begun in by the Metropolitan Police inquiry Operation Herne which investigated the activities of the Special Demonstration Squad undercovers. It was subsequently adopted by Mark Ellison for his Review and the UCPI, both of which draw heavily on Operation Herne. The system appears to have changed in 2017, when the Inquiry began using the 'HN' label, though the associated numbers appear unchanged.

• For a general introduction into the cypher system, see N Officers (main page).
• For N officers with numbers less than 100, see N officers part 1.
• For N officers with numbers 300 to 399, see N officers part 3.
• For N officers with numbers 400 and higher, see N officers part 4.

• Updated 21 July 2018; further details of restriction order applications, etc. can be found under individual officer pages where linked.

N series officers part 2 (100-299)

Cypher	Name (italics for cover name only)	Position	Notes
HN101	restricted	SDS undercover	Deployed into Socialist Workers Party in 1990s. Contemporary of Peter Francis, and according to Bob Lambert, had 'an involvement in Stephen Lawrence campaign issues' (Ellison, p. 214). Real and cover names will be restricted.
HN102	restricted	SDS undercover	Deployed into anarchist groups in the 1980s. Mitting has restricted real and cover names on health grounds.
HN103	to come		11 January 2018, directions issued for any application for restriction orders to be submitted by 30 & 31 January 2018 for MPS and Designated Lawyers Team respectively. No restriction order application made. so real name will be published. No cover name used.
HN104	Carlo Neri	SDS undercover	Deployed March 2000 to Summer 2006 into Socialist Party and No Platform / Antifa. Real name known to the activists he spied upon, and who exposed him. During the public hearing of 21 November, it was recognised that Carlo's real name was going to be published, the matter effectively reduced to who did it. which was acknowledged in a ruling of Dec 2017. Discussions on how to publish the name, while respecting rights of the family are on-going (17 July 2018). 7 Aug 2018 ruling made restricting real name.
HN106	Barry Tomkins	SDS undercover	1979-1983 deployed into the Spartacist League of Britain. Ruled real name will be restricted.
HN108	to come	SDS back office / manager	No application made. - real name to be published in due course.
HN109	restricted	SDS undercover & manager	Deployed undercover in 1970s; later a Det. Insp. in SDS in 1995 (1980s/1990s). Real and cover names restricted.
HN110	to come	SDS Detective Constable.	Served in back office in last period of unit. No application to restrict name made so shall be released in due course.
HN112	restricted	SDS undercover	2007 in training though never actually deployed. Real and cover names restricted on health grounds.
HN113	to come	SDS (back office / manager)	20 March 2018, directed that any anonymity applications were to be filed by 28 March 2018 by MPS legal team, or 6 April for the Designated Lawyers team. April 2018: further information sought. May 2018: application withdrawn - name to be published when evidence relating to him is released.
HN115	to come	SDS back office	No application for anonymity made so real be published in due course.
HN118	Simon Wellings (alias)	SDS undercover	Deployed 2001-2004 (2007) into Globalise Resistance, Socialist Workers Party and Dissent! Real name restricted.
HN120	to come	SDS back office / manager	No application made. so real name to be published in due course.
HN122	Neil Richardson	SDS undercover	Revolutionary Communist Party & Class War 1989-1993 11 January 2018, directions issued for any anonymity application to be submitted by 30 & 31 January 2018 for MPS and Designated Lawyers Team respectively. March 2018: Mitting states that for reasons set out in a closed note, it is possible to examine HN122's deployment without risk of serious harm to HN122 or others, and the cover name must be published to give groups targeted a chance to provide evidence. 23 May 2018 ruling - cover name application refused; application over real name granted. It was noted that the refusal to restrict the cover name followed a closed hearing. Once the cover name is released (following pre-publication checks), an open application will be published and a date set for responding on the Chair's 'minded-to' to restrict the real name. 12 Feb 2019: cover-name and targets released. 21 Feb 2019: Inquiry directs that submissions regarding the resetriction order over the real name are to be made by 21 March 2019. MPS restriction order application over real name; Designated Laywers application to restrict real and cover names, and also targets 17 Apr 2019: ruling that real name would be restricted. 17 Sept 2019, Faith Mason, whose deceased son's identity was used in part to create the Neil Richardson legend, was granted core participancy in the Inquiry.
HN123	restricted	SDS undercover	Deployed into left wing groups 1993-1998, one of which 'advocated and practiced the use of violence'. Retired from MPS on health grounds & later diagnosed with a mental health condition in part derived from his deployment. Said to have played a part in activities connected to the spying on the Lawrences. Mentioned in both Ellison Review and Herne II. Real and cover names restricted.
HN124			- see under HN356
HN125	restricted	SDS undercover	Deployed into a single left wing group in 1980s. Real and cover names to be restricted on health grounds.
HN126	Paul Gray	SDS undercover	Deployed into the Socialist Workers Party and Anti-Nazi League 1977-1982. Real name restricted.
HN127	unknown	SDS Sergeant / cover officer	Sergeant with the SDS 1997-2001. Cover officer for Carlo Neri, Mark Jenner (HN15) and others. Ruling (Feb 2018): restriction application over real name refused so will be published in due course.
N129	to come	SDS Sergeant	SDS supevisor / cover officer. Extension sought to deal with in a future tranche. No application made made so real name will be published; any cover name will be considered at document redaction stage. Received Lambert's memo on the N81 / Walton meeting; commented on character and skill of Peter Francis, but said that they did not recognise the allegations regarding seeking information to smear the Lawrence family. His statement to Op. Herne is quoted in Ellison (p.212): "[Mr Francis] was targeted towards the campaign in the same way as today… to perform a dual role of protecting the family from malicious extremist influences and providing information about potential public order issues. The anti-police sentiment on the streets was palpable, and Territorial Policing was very interested in any potential or planned disorder…" N129 believes that he was directly tasked to get involved with the campaign, although not necessarily with the family. His role was not about ‘smearing’ at all.
HN135 / Mike Ferguson	restricted	SDS undercover	Infiltrated anti-apartheid campaigners including the 'Stop the Seventy' campaign - 1969-1970. Real name given in True Spies series. 20 March 2018, directed that any anonymity applications applications were to be filed by 28 March 2018 by MPS legal team, or 6 April for the Designated Lawyers team. April 2018: closed hearing to take place. July & Sept 2018: 'further investigation necessary befor application to restrict the cover name can be determined. The real name will be published. 29 October 2019: Mitting rules cover name will be restricted, but not his real name, noting it is already in the public domain.
HN146	to come	SDS back office / management	No application made so real name to be published in due course. No cover name.
HN155	Phil Cooper	SDS undercover	Deployed into Socialist Workers Party 1979/80 to 1983. Ruled that real name will be restricted.
N183	Richard Walton		Special Branch background. Later head of Counter Terrorism Command. In 1998, while part of the Lawrence Review Team, Walton was involved in a controversial meeting wtih undercover N81 Dave Hagan, regarding gathering information on the Stephen Lawrence family campaign.
N190	unknown	SDS Detective Inspector	commented on retention / destruction of documents within the SDS during a 2004 document rationalisation process (Ellison, 201).
HN200	Roger Harris	SDS undercover	Deployed into Socialist Workers Party 1974-1977. Minded-To (March 2018): real name cannot be published; cover name to be published. Details released 17 July 2018. 13 Sept 2018: open application to be published re application to restrict real name. Currently in 70s. Deployment apparently unremarkable. Mitting: no reason to publish real name; and HN200 and wife are concerned about media intrusion. 20 February 2018, directions issued for any application for restriction orders to be submitted by 26 & 28 February 2018 for MPS and Designated Lawyers Team respectively. 2 October 2018: the [1] applied for by the Metropolitan police to restrict HN200's real name was released, with a deadline for responses of 23 October. It was also released that after his time in the SDS, HN200 held 'a senior management role within the MPS'. 8 Nov 2018: real name restricted, with Mitting noting: The senior management role held by HN 200 in the MPS did not involve him, directly or indirectly, in the management or oversight of the SOS. My acknowledgement of the public interest in senior managers being accountable in their real name was confined to those with responsibilities of that kind. The Restriction order was made public on 23 October 2020.
HN204	to come	SDS back office / manager	No anonymity application made, so real name to be published in due course.
HN216 / N216	to come	SDS management. Responsible for day-to-day running of the unit in the 1990s.	Minded-to (Nov 2017): application for restriction order in respect of real name to be refused with Mitting writing: The evidence which he can give about the management of the Special Demonstration Squad is potentially significant. There is no known allegation of misconduct against him. He has identified no plausible risk to the safety or welfare of himself or his family beyond the possibility of unwelcome media attention if his whereabouts were to be traced. This is a real risk, but it is outweighed by the legitimate interest which the public has in his performance of his duty in a senior and responsible public office. The starting presumption that evidence given by such a person about such duties should be given publicly and in his own name is not displaced. Closed reasons accompany the note. July 2018: both MPS Commissioners lawyers and Designated Legal Team 'have indicated they do not want to pursue the application', so the Minded To decision of Nov 2017 becomes the final ruling, and real name will be published. Expressed outrage at Peter Francis allegations (Herne II, 21.1.14) and stated in respect of the targeting of Duwayne Brooks (Herne 24.1.13): 'SDS activity targeting individuals in a public order context may have brought certain officers into contact with, or in the close proximity of Duwayne Brooks, but, if that did happen, this would not have been in response to the murder investigation, or any connection with the family'.
HN217	to come	SDS back office	No application made so real name will be published; no cover name.
HN218 / N218	Barry Moss a.k.a Barry Morris	SDS undercover and manager	Deployed 1968 into Vietnam Solidarity Campaign. Cover name and real name to be published as no restriction order application made. Cover name released May 2018. Later became manager of the SDS and Comamnder of Special Branch. Herne II, para. 25.1.2 states: The MPS Director of Intelligence in 1999 has been interviewed by Operation Herne and stated, 'I have been asked if I recall 'any Special Branch plans to mislead the Macpherson Inquiry' into the death of Stephen Lawrence. For part of this time, I was head of Special Branch operations and have no recollection of any such plans.’ Peter Francis has alleged that N218 came out to see him in respect of withholding information from the Macpherson Inquiry. In interview, N218 stated that this meeting or request never happened.
HN241	restricted	SDS undercover	Deployed into one group in 1970s. Ruling (20 Feb 2018): real and cover names to be restricted. No allegation of misconduct. Arrested but not charged on one occasion.
HN221	to come	SDS back office	No application made so real name will be published; no cover name.
HN244	to come	SDS back office / manager	Full extent of restriction order being sought unknown; extension sought for MPS to supply this application (Nov 2017). No application made so real name will be published; no cover name (July 2018).
HN268	unknown	SDS back office	No application to restrict real name made, so real name to be given 'when evidence relating to them is published before hearings'. No cover name.
N275	unknown	Det. Ch. Insp. in last period of unit	Critical of record retention and note-taking in the SDS (Ellison, pages 198 & 201). Role as DCI, heading the SDS in its last period and role in its closure is discussed in risk assessment of HN30.
HN294	cover name lost	SDS undercover and manager	Deployed 1968-1969 into a group that no longer exists, and reported on others. Held a managerial position in the SDS 1969-1974. Deceased. Real name restricted.
HN296	Geoff Wallace	SDS undercover	Deployed into Socialist Workers Party from 1975 to 1978 (details released 4 June 2019); no known allegation of misconduct against him. Currently in late 60s. Ruling (Mar 2018): real name to be restricted. 15 Jan 2018: 'Minded-to' grant restriction order over real name; no application in relation to cover name which will be published in due course. He does not live in the UK but is willing to cooperate with the Inquiry. 13 Sept 2018: open application to restrict real name will be published once the cover name has been released. Real name anonymity application made 24 Nov 2017 - made public 24 July 2019, with directions for objections to be made by 29 Aug 2019. A gist of additional information is that following his SDS deployment 'he worked on squads within Special Branch that would have used intelligence generated by the SDS' 29 October 2019: Mitting rules against making a restriction order over the officers real name, writing: The specific reasons advanced in paragraph 11 of the written note submitted on behalf of the NPNSCP’s dated 14 September 2019 are speculative. I have no reason to believe that there were any “potentially important links between his covert work and his subsequent role” or that there is any evidence of significance which can be given about the latter by him or by others. The Restriction order was made public on 23 October 2020.
HN297	Richard Clarke a.k.a. Rick Gibson	SDS undercover	Infiltrated Troop Out Movement 1974-1976 and tasked to infiltrate Big Flame - discovered and confronted by them in 1976. Multiple sexual relationships. Deceased.
HN298	Michael Scott (alias)	SDS undercover	Deployed 1971 to 1976 into the Young Liberals, Anti-Apartheid Movement and Workers Revolutionary Party. Convicted in 1972 under his cover name.
HN299/ HN342		SDS	See under HN342

• For N officers with numbers <100, see N officers part 1.
• For N officers with numbers >300, see N officers part 3.