Charity loses High Court ‘spy kids’ challenge

A charity has lost a High Court challenge against the Home Office over the use of children as informants by police and other investigative bodies.

Just For Kids Law argued the current scheme for recruiting and deploying children as covert human intelligence sources (CHIS) does not contain “adequate safeguards” and breaches human rights laws.

But, in a ruling on Monday, Mr Justice Supperstone said he was satisfied the scheme is “lawful”.

The judge said the “very significant risk of physical and psychological harm” to them from being a CHIS in the context of serious crime is “self-evident”.

However, he dismissed the charity’s case, saying: “I reject the contention that the scheme is inadequate in its safeguarding of the interests and welfare of juvenile CHIS.”