A FORMER undercover policeman claims he was beaten by fellow officers while on a protest at Drax Power station, near Selby.

Mark Kennedy hit national headlines last week when it was revealed he had offered to give evidence on behalf of the environmental activists he was sent by his police bosses to infiltrate.

In an interview with a national newspaper on his double life, he told how in 2006 he was beaten by five uniformed officers, who were unaware of his undercover status, at the perimeter fence of Drax. He said: “A young petite woman I knew as Cathleen began to crawl through a hole in the fence.

“Then I saw a uniformed police officer start to strike her very hard on her legs and lower back with his baton.

“I tried to stand between her and him.

“I didn’t do anything aggressive. That’s when I got jumped on by five officers who kicked and beat me. They had batons and pummelled my head. They punched me. One officer repeatedly stamped on my back.”

Mr Kennedy said the beating left him with a head wound, a broken finger and prolapsed disk.

He also told how he was unhappy that his police bosses would not consider compensation for his injuries because it would have blown his cover.

Mr Kennedy, who has now left the Metropolitan Police, infiltrated the group in the guise of a long-haired climber called Mark Stone.

The father-of-two said his life had become a “living nightmare” after his secret role was revealed when a crown court trial of six people, accused of planning to invade Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station, collapsed when prosecutors dropped charges.

The protesters’ legal team claimed the decision was made after Mr Kennedy offered to give evidence on their behalf.