Officer said he held himself responsible for accidentally phoning activist while in secret special branch meeting
An undercover police officer has admitted he was exposed as an infiltrator by his own blunder, which has been described by activists as worthy of Inspector Clouseau, the spycops public inquiry has heard.
The officer, who used the fake name Simon Wellings, jeopardised his own covert deployment by mistakenly recording himself discussing individual campaigners with other special branch officers.
He committed the error while infiltrating leftwing groups as a member of a covert Scotland Yard unit.
It happened when he attended a secret meeting with the special branch officers and was asked if he had the telephone number of an activist. He looked up her number on his phone, but then mistakenly dialled it.
