The public hearings of Tranche 3 of the Undercover Policing Inquiry came to a close yesterday with the conclusion of the Tranche 3 Phase 3 hearings (“T3P3”).  The Inquiry was constituted to inquire into and report on undercover police operations conducted by English and Welsh police forces in England and Wales since 1968.

During the T3P3 hearings, the Inquiry heard evidence from former managers of the Metropolitan Police’s ‘Special Demonstration Squad’ and other senior managers, all the way up to Commissioner level. 

Pump Court’s Timothy Salisbury and Nazmeen Imambaccus both worked on this phase of hearings. Timothy conducted the Inquiry’s questioning of a sergeant within the SDS, examining his knowledge of the deceitful sexual relationships conducted during and before his service with the unit.  He also called a former Head of Counter Terrorism Command (SO15), who, as a more junior officer, had attended a meeting with an Undercover Officer then deployed into an anti-racist campaign group which the MPS were concerned sought to ‘hijack’ the Stephen Lawrence Campaign for its own ends. That meeting took place at the same time the MPS was finalising its submissions to part 1 of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry and UCPI heard evidence about whether any information obtained during that meeting affected the MPS submissions.  Nazmeen assisted in the vital role protecting the privacy rights of individuals referred to during live evidence.

Tim Salisbury and Nazmeen Imambaccus are currently instructed as Deputy First Junior and Second Junior Counsel to the Inquiry respectively and also appeared at the inquiry hearings as led junior counsel.  They both called witnesses during earlier phases of the Inquiry.  Several other members of Pump Court’s Inquests and Inquiries team have previously acted as CTI during the course of UCPI, including Paul Mertens, Naima Asif and Stephanie Painter.

The Chairman of UCPI, Sir John Mitting, will now produce an interim report about the activities of the SDS based on the evidence considered during Tranches 2 and 3 of the Inquiry.