Rayner Lysaght, 1941-2021 | Workers' Liberty workersliberty.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from workersliberty.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
by Bethany Rielly
A FORMER undercover officer told an inquiry today that he punched a campaigner as a form of “justice” after the man accused him of being a police spy.
The officer, who used the cover name Michael Scott, carried out the “cold and calculated” attack while infiltrating protest groups in the 1970s, including anti-apartheid and Irish solidarity organisations.
The spycop broke his little finger after hitting campaigner Gerry Lawless, who had accused him in a public meeting of the Troops Out Movement of being an undercover officer.
Giving evidence to the Undercover Policing Inquiry, Mr Scott said he felt that the punch was the “only sensible way” to deal with the accusation and maintain his cover.