From the Northern Echo, first published Tuesday 22nd Apr 2003.
FRESH evidence has been uncovered in an inquiry into a former policeman's claims
that fellow officers set him up for a jail sentence.
The material has been sent to the Crown Prosecution Service, which is already considering
the findings of a three-year investigation into allegations by former Cleveland
Police traffic constable Sultan Alam that he was framed.
The only Asian police officer in the force's traffic division at the time, he served
nine months of an 18-month prison sentence for handling stolen car parts - crimes,
he insists, he did not commit.
Serving police officers now face the prospect of being re-interviewed by the Operation
Granite investigation team of Northumbria Police officers.
The investigation, supervised by the Police Complaints Authority, was launched in
July 1999. Its task was to investigate allegations that a number of Cleveland Police
officers committed perjury and conspired to pervert the course of justice, before
and during a criminal investigation, which ultimately led to Mr Alam's conviction
at Teesside Crown Court in December 1996.
Mr Alam, who lives in Middlesbrough, also claimed that officers told lies during
the course of employment tribunal proceedings, which he began before his 1994 arrest.
Peter Rennie, the chairman of that employment panel, accused several officers of
suffering "a convenient and partial loss of memory".
A list of names of police officers and support workers, running into double figures,
was handed over to the investigators by Chris Eyre, Mr Alam's solicitor.
He is seeking to have his client's name cleared and the Court of Appeal to rule
the 1996 court conviction unsafe.
News that investigators have unearthed fresh material was confirmed to The Northern
Echo by retired superintendent Norman Taylor, who is heading the investigation.
He said: "As far as we are concerned, a file is still with the Director of
Public Prosecutions in London. The file was sent to the DPP April, last year. I
am aware it is still being considered by counsel.
"We have forwarded additional information down to London quite recently."
Mr Eyre said: "I am impressed by the thoroughness of the investigation which
has gone looking for this additional information, albeit at a very late stage.
Cleveland Police said that it would be inappropriate to comment until the DPP has
concluded its investigation.
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