Germany: Court rules Met ‘spy cop’ acted unlawfully
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A court in Germany has ruled that a British undercover policeman who spied on environmental campaigners did so unlawfully during his time in Germany.
The ruling brings to an end the legal case that was begun by one of the campaigners who was spied on by Mark Kennedy.
A judge in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern said on Monday that Mr Kennedy’s deployment had been “objectively illegal” because it had not been pre-approved by judges.
The decision places attention on how police in Europe have worked together to infiltrate different political groups. Mr Kennedy spent seven years spying on activists until his cover was blown in 2010. German police were forced to admit that he worked for three German states during his deployment.
A activist he befriended, Jason Kirkpatrick, took legal action against him to expose the scale of his conduct. On Monday, Mr Kirkpatrick and the defendant, the interior ministry of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, settled the case.
Earlier this year, the Metropolitan Police rejected a request made for Mr Kennedy to give testimony in the trial and refused to provide additional information on the mission.
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