Undercover Operatives

One area of Police work I have never touched upon and that is the role of the undercover cop.  These have operated for decades in the USA, but only over the last forty years or more in this country.  In this country, the cases I want to write about are the Colin Stagg saga and the case of a woman who"solicited" a murder.

    As this case was been extensively covered, I will be brief.  The Police used a woman agent to ensnare Stagg into confessing he murdered Rachel Nickell.  The judge threw it out, calling it "Entrapment of the most reprehensible kind"  This was not "Establishing his innocence or guilt" as the Police claimed but their attempt to get Stagg to say "I did it" no matter what.  Some years later, the real murderer, Robert Napper was convicted, and it transpired that they had evidence that would have made him a strong suspect.  Since his conviction, there had been silence from the Police and Paul Britton, the Psychologist who drew up the profile and helped with briefing the undercover agent, named "Lizzie James".

    Next, comes the woman who was lucky not to be arrested and charged with Conspiracy to Murder.  The truth was, she never solicited a murder.  This was a set-up by a Police informer.  The woman said something that thousands of women over the last 40 or 50 years, in violent and abusive marriages and relationships have said.  That she would have her husband killed if she could get away with it.  This was said to a taxi driver, who was the said informer.  Astonishingly, he went to the Police who set up a sting with an undercover operative.  HE went back to the woman stating, "Remember what you said about getting rid of your husband?  I can get you a hitman!"  She NEVER asked for a killer.  HE brought it up.  Amazingly, the agent, in his memoirs said that they were trained not to entrap people.  Then what was this case?  The murder plot was set in motion by the informer!  The agent met with the woman who, not surprisingly, dithered.  The agent was pushing for an answer.  She said no, but could quite easily have said yes, but having no intention of going through with it.  All the Police wanted to hear was "Yes".  As I said, the informer, not the woman, set this in motion.  Be warned!