Undercover policeman 'considered suicide'

An undercover policeman who infiltrated a group of environmental activists has said he feels suicidal in his first interview since the operation was revealed.

Mark Kennedy, a father of two, said his life has become a "living nightmare" and that his son told him he never wants to see him again.

Mr Kennedy's secret role was revealed when a Nottingham Crown Court trial of six people accused of planning to invade Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station collapsed as prosecutors dropped the charges.

The protesters' legal team claimed the decision was made after Mr Kennedy, a former Metropolitan Police officer who infiltrated the group in the guise of a long-haired climber called Mark Stone, offered to give evidence on their behalf.

In an extensive interview with The Mail on Sunday, Mr Kennedy said he believed tape recordings secretly made by him were withheld from the court by police for fear it would destroy the prosecution's case.

Mr Kennedy said he was involved in five major protests, starting with one at the G8 summit at Gleneagles in 2005 when he passed on "invaluable" information to police about demonstrators' movements.

Other protests he took part in included those at Didcot Power Station in Oxfordshire in 2006, the G20 summit in London in 2008 and in Copenhagen, Denmark.

He said the fall-out from the undercover operation has left him feeling suicidal.