A new three-part ITV documentary will expose the shocking details of the so-called "spycops" scandal, in which dozens of women were tricked into having relationships with undercover police officers.
The practice, which took place as part of a secret police unit for more than 40 years, saw over 60 ordinary women unwittingly enter into relationships with the undercover officers as part of their cover stories.
Five of the women involved have now waived their anonymity to speak in the documentary, called The Undercover Police Scandal: Love and Lies Exposed, to talk about how they were wooed by the men before being suddenly ghosted and abandoned in eerily-similar goodbye letters.
They will also talk about how they discovered that the officers used the identities of dead children for the cover story - and how some of the undercover cops even fathered children with the women they deceived.
Executive producer Rebecca North said: "This is an inspirational, empowering story about women who refused to go away quietly, instead using their ingenuity and tenacity to expose the lies they'd been told by the men they loved, leading to a David vs Goliath battle with the Metropolitan Police. We hope it brings awareness to the scandal."
A joint statement from the five women in the programme read: "We've been working together to expose this policing scandal since we first met in 2011. Our lives were devastated by the actions of undercover police and this powerful documentary highlights how we fought back against dehumanising spycops intrusion and abuse, which was sanctioned by the state for decades to undermine progressive campaigns for change.
"By shining a light on the role of these undemocratic, secret, political policing units, we hope the series is part of a dramatic shift away from the culture of misogyny that the police and security services have normalised and puts pressure on decision makers to reverse the current legislation that places undercover officers completely beyond the law."
The documentary will air on ITV1 and ITVX early this year.
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