TV Gladiator `acted as gangland go-between'

A JURY was played secretly recorded tapes yesterday of a senior detective allegedly agreeing to pass top-secret information to a gangland leader.

Mike Ahearne - also known as TV Gladiator Warrior - was the "go-between" for Detective Chief Inspector Elmore Davies, of Merseyside Police, and the father of a man accused of attempting to murder a nightclub bouncer in July 1996, the prosecution alleges.

Nottingham Crown Court was told the criminal gang of Philip Glennon senior and Curtis Warren was out to get information that could scupper the case against Philip Glennon junior. It is alleged DCI Davies agreed to pass details for a pounds 10,000 fee about the chief police witness in the case, PC Gary Titherington.

On the sixth day of the trial yesterday the jury listened through headphones to muffled tapes of conversations between Davies and Ahearne, recorded by a bug in Elmore Davies's flat.

Davies was allegedly heard to stress to Ahearne, an old friend, the need for security.

"I know I am being paranoid about this but if they mention your name, if they mention my name, we'll no longer be of use to him because either I'll get fed disinformation deliberately or they'll move me where I cannot find anything out."

He was also allegedly heard telling Ahearne that police had an informant close to Glennon and went on to spell out Gary Titherington's name, his car registration and the nursery his daughter attended.

The hearing was adjourned until September 2.