The officer concealed his real identity from the woman during this time, never telling her his real occupation, and using his fictitious identity on the birth certificate of their son.
In 2020, after the couple had got engaged, the woman discovered that her fiance, whom she believed to be a businessman, was in fact a police officer who had subjected her to a sophisticated deception lasting almost two decades.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating senior officers at Avon and Somerset police, who knew about the relationship as far back as 2013.
They appear to have waited at least seven years before informing the woman that the person she knew as her fiance had been using a fake identity given to him for use in covert police operations. The IOPC confirmed it was investigating the case.
The woman, whom the Guardian is referring to as "Mary" to protect her identity, does not want to speak publicly about the experience. However, her relatives say that she is "a shadow of the person we used to know".
"This whole thing has broken her," Mary's sister said. "She has expressed suicidal thoughts. She cries daily. She does not sleep. She is really fearful."
News of the deception upended the entire family's lives. "Our dad, the stress of this has destroyed his health. This has put him in hospital. My mum is on antidepressants. She can't sleep at night. We can't talk about this to anybody, not even with our own children," Mary's sister added. "It's broken us as a family."
Mary's family accused Avon and Somerset police of bullying and threatening them for three years to discourage them from speaking to the press. Senior police, they said, warned them that if the public were to become aware of the relationship the revelation could spark riots. However, Mary's family believe that this and other warnings were used to co-opt them into a "cover-up" of the scandal.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 07, 2023 من The Guardian.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 07, 2023 من The Guardian.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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