Episode Details

The Met police spent £2.5 million to hide a spy from his ex-lover—yes, really. John Dines, who vanished after a two-year affair with activist Helen Steel in 1990, was actually an undercover officer. Scotland Yard orchestrated New Zealand police to spy on Steel and her family during overseas trips, even searching their luggage—all to protect Dines’ secret. Steel called it abuse of power, furious that taxpayer cash funded a cover-up that also spied on thousands of activists. The Met later paid Dines to relocate to Australia, subsidizing his new life. Former commissioner admitted “horrendous abuses,” but many doubt the police didn’t know about the relationship—given how common it was for spies to hook up with their targets.

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