The identity of HN337 is subject to a restriction order. He was deployed in the 1970s against four groups. He described the timing of his deployment as ‘during the very early stages of the SDS’ so it is likely this was at the beginning of the 1970s, rather than later in the decade. HN337 was approached to join the SDS on a provisional basis – to try it for six months.
There was no formal training. He found cover accommodation by looking at adverts in the back of a newspaper and renting it in his undercover name. He said his undercover work had a negative impact on his home life as it impeded having a social life and his partner found it hard not knowing when they would next see each other.
HN337 described his colleagues’ sexual relationships with activists while undercover as ‘totally wrong’, adding: ‘If I’d have got myself into a position where failing to develop a relationship would have stopped me advancing my cover, then I’d have left. I wouldn’t have done it; I would rather have cut my ties.’ He has not been accused of having a sexual relationship while undercover.
He was promoted while undercover and, after leaving the SDS, worked in several other Special Branch squads in a managerial role.
In the mid-1990s he returned to the SDS as a senior manager. Undercover-turned-whistleblower HN43 Peter Francis described HN337 as ‘the DI [detective inspector] in charge after Bob Lambert’.
According to HN337’s gisted risk assessment: ‘During this period there were several issues with UCOs [undercovers] requiring [H]N337’s attention, including a security threat, tasking and strategic and tactical management of sensitive deployments of interest to the Inquiry.’
HN337 was partly responsible for the recruitment of HN81 Dave Hagan to the SDS. Hagan was deployed to spy on members of Stephen Lawrence’s family as they campaigned for justice for the racist murder of their son.
However, HN337 denied being involved in the decision to deploy Hagan, adding that, as an SDS manager, he had helped to improve officer welfare, supervision, support and practice.
In 2017, HN337, made a statement to the Inquiry in support of his anonymity application. Said to be aged in his 70s, HN337 wrote that he lived abroad and was not personally worried about his real name being made public but thought it would cause his partner extreme anxiety.
As HN337 lives outside the UK he cannot be compelled to give evidence, but he agreed to cooperate with the Inquiry remotely if his identity was protected.
The Metropolitan Police applied for HN337’s real and cover names to be restricted on 27 September 2017. A risk assessment and impact statement submitted in support of the application were published on 26 February 2018.
Inquiry Chair John Mitting issued a Minded-to notice on 14 November 2017, stating that he was planning to grant both anonymity requests. Submissions were made by SDS undercover-turned-whistleblower HN43 Peter Francis ‘Pete Black’ and the non-state non-police core witnesses, arguing to make at least HN337’s cover name public.
A hearing to consider these was held on 21 March 2018, after which Mitting ruled that both names should remain anonymous. A restriction order was therefore issued on 9 October 2018.
All the documents refered to in this section can be found by selecting the Procedural tab of the documents section of this profile.