A man convicted of 38 paedophile offences has been revealed as a former police informer who spied on environmental activists in the UK. Nick Gratwick, 68, was found guilty at Guildford Crown Court of planning to rape children as young as six, possessing over 1,300 child abuse images, and advising others on how to drug and abuse children.
The trial heard that Gratwick, a radio engineer from Mitcham, south London, had worked as a police informant for six years during the 1990s and 2000s. He infiltrated prominent environmental and animal rights protests, including the Newbury bypass campaign in Berkshire, where thousands of activists opposed the construction of a 9-mile road through ancient woodland.
Activists described Gratwick, known as 'Radio Nick', as a key organiser who helped establish a network of CB radios for communication between protest camps. He also later spied on animal rights groups, including a campaign against Huntingdon Life Sciences, an animal testing laboratory.
Gratwick was arrested at Stansted Airport in March as he prepared to fly to Romania to rape a child in a paid arrangement. In his luggage, officers found an item he had previously said he would use to suffocate the child during the assault. The National Crime Agency described his offences as 'some of the worst seen by specialist child abuse investigators'.
During police interviews, Gratwick alluded to his past covert work for Thames Valley Police, suggesting officers 'talk to special branch'. Both Gratwick and the force declined to comment on his role as an informer. The case has raised concerns about the use of undercover police spies in activist movements.
