Eight women have started legal action against police chiefs, alleging that police spies used them "physically and emotionally" to obtain political intelligence

Today there is a significant development in the controversy over undercover policing of protest groups.

Eight women who say they were duped into forming long-term loving relationships with undercover policemen have annnounced that they have started legal action against police chiefs, alleging that they have suffered intense emotional trauma and pain.

We have published a story on this here, along with a longer article which gives more detail here. The eight have issued a statement which can be read here. We have removed one line from the statement for legal reasons.

This is a clearly an important move which will challenge police chiefs. The allegations from the women have been levelled against Mark Kennedy, Bob Lambert and Jim Boyling - and two new names, Mark Cassidy and John Barker.