Below are adapted excerpts from profiles of Andrew Coles and a separate one on his time in his undercover as 'Andy Davey' at the former URG wiki, last updated in February 2020.
'Jessica' and Coles gave evidence to the Inquiry in late 2024. An updated profile will appear in due course.
HN2 Andy Coles ('Andy Davey') is a minor Conservative Party politician. He was previously a Detective Inspector with the Metropolitan Police and served with ACPO TAM. It was revealed in the autobiography by his famous brother the referent Richard Coles that he had been an undercover who infiltrated extremist groups. The story broke on 12 May 2017 when 'Jessica', the woman he targeted for a relationship while undercover, came forward to tell her story.
Andy Coles was deployed into the London animal rights scene in late 1991 in South London, as Andy Davey, though he also gained the nickname 'Andy Van'. He remained active for the next couple of years, exiting in February 1995.
He is a contemporary of another undercover officer in animal rights, 'Matt Rayner', and the pair were involved in a number of the same pan-London campaigning groups. Both officers were part of the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) within the Metropolitan Police Special Branch.