Undercover Officer Convicted of Assault and Dismissed from Police Force
A public inquiry into undercover policing has heard shocking details about an officer who was convicted of assaulting his long-term partner and subsequently dismissed from the Metropolitan Police. Rob Hastings, who infiltrated pro-Palestinian and leftwing protest groups for three years during his covert deployment, pleaded guilty to the assault in 2014. The conviction, which resulted in his sacking for gross misconduct, was revealed this week at the spycops inquiry, shedding light on his deceptive behavior towards women.
Deceptive Relationships and Emotional Abuse
During questioning, Hastings was confronted about his treatment of a woman known as Maya, whom he deceived into a year-long intimate relationship starting in 2006. Maya testified that she was vulnerable at the time, struggling with mental health issues and past trauma, and was inexperienced in relationships. Hastings did not disclose his real identity as an undercover officer, and their relationship was marked by controlling and manipulative behavior.
Maya described how Hastings regularly accused her of infidelity without cause, leading to periods of silence that caused her to self-harm and feel suicidal. She stated, "I often felt like he was using me for sex which made me feel very negatively about myself and my body." He only told her he loved her during sex, further exacerbating her distress. After the relationship ended in 2007, Maya turned to heroin and crack cocaine to cope with the devastation.
Further Deception and Cruelty
In 2015, Hastings reappeared in Maya's life after vanishing for seven years, convincing her to break up with her then-boyfriend of five years by promising to resume their relationship and have children together. They had sex once, after which he left before dawn and disappeared again. Maya was forced to take the morning-after pill, an experience she found deeply upsetting. It was only this week that Hastings admitted he had undergone a vasectomy before their relationship began, a fact he had concealed, describing his actions as "clearly being cruel and selfish."
Hastings continued working for the Metropolitan Police after his undercover deployment, even joining a counter-terrorism unit. He did not inform Maya about his criminal conviction for assault or his long-term partner, with whom he had been since age 17 and had three children. Maya only discovered he was a police spy in 2019, expressing that she felt "used and exploited" and that his behavior was emotionally abusive and calculated to undermine her self-worth.
Apology and Inquiry Tensions
While Hastings disputed many aspects of Maya's evidence or claimed he could not recall events, he accepted that he had "behaved towards Maya exceedingly badly" and apologized, admitting he caused her "a great deal of pain." However, he denied using her for sexual gratification. During his testimony, Hastings became angry with the inquiry's barrister, Sarah Hemingway, complaining that her questions amounted to "torture," and he remonstrated with members of the public before being silenced by Sir John Mitting, who heads the inquiry.
Broader Implications of Undercover Policing
The spycops inquiry is examining how undercover officers frequently formed intimate relationships with women while concealing their true identities, a practice that has affected over 50 women from the 1970s to the 2010s. Hastings was part of the Special Demonstration Squad, a covert Scotland Yard unit that spied on tens of thousands of mainly leftwing activists over four decades. His case highlights the severe personal and ethical consequences of such covert operations, raising questions about accountability and abuse within police forces.
