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.
This story is from the September 07, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 07, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Closing borders Electoral pressures put EU's freedom of movement under threat
In 2015, when more than 1.3 million people headed to Europe, mostly fleeing a brutal war in Syria, the response of Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, was to say: \"Wir schaffen das\" (\"We can manage this\"), and open the country's borders.
Fight does not end here, say critics, as Wimbledon wins the go-ahead to expand
Wimbledon's controversial plans to build 39 new tennis courts have been given the green light after a deputy mayor of London ruled that the \"very significant benefits\" of the scheme outweighed any potential harm to the environment.
Sue Gray Advisers to the PM are often targets of sniping but is it sustainable?
For someone who was not even in Liverpool for the Labour party conference, Sue Gray was the subject of a remarkable amount of conversation.
Revealed Alli gave PM a further £16,000 gift of clothing
Keir Starmer was given a further £16,000 worth of clothes by the Labour peer Waheed Alli, which was declared as money for his private office, the Guardian can reveal.
Tributes paid to 'one of a kind' in seven decades on stage and screen
Maggie Smith, the prolific, awardwinning actor described by peers as being \"one of a kind\" and possessed of a \"sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent\", has died aged 89.
Diplomacy Netanyahu insists Israel is winning on 'seven fronts'
Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, shrugged off global appeals for a ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza yesterday, using a defiant speech at the UN general assembly to denounce the world body as an \"antisemitic swamp\" and insist Israel is \"winning\" its multi-front wars.
Van Gogh's Sunflowers in new protest as climate activists jailed
Climate activists threw tomato soup over two Sunflowers paintings by Vincent van Gogh yesterday, just an hour after two others were jailed for almost the same protest action in 2022.
Met Office issues wind warning after rains bring flooding
The Met Office has issued a warning for strong winds tomorrow as parts of the country were still recovering from heavy rain and flooding yesterday.
Blind contestant's Strictly cha-cha-cha inspires visually impaired to get on dancefloor
It may be early days, but Strictly Come Dancing's breakout star so far this season is also the show's first blind contestant, Chris McCausland.
Labour's non-dom policy has 'basic errors' copied from Tories, say Whitehall sources
Labour's flagship \"non-dom\" policy was largely copied and pasted from the Conservatives even though it contains \"basic errors\" and risks damaging the UK's financial sector, Whitehall sources have told the Guardian.
