'Robocop' alleges colleagues plotted to pervert justice

Detective Ray "Robocop" Mallon has turned the tables on the force that suspended him by lodging a criminal complaint against his superiors with Jack Straw, the Home Secretary.

Detective Ray "Robocop" Mallon has turned the tables on the force that suspended him by lodging a criminal complaint against his superiors with Jack Straw, the Home Secretary.

Solicitors acting for Detective Superintendent Mallon, who was cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the Crown Prosecution Service in June, have written to Mr Straw, alleging that senior Cleveland Police officers conspired to pervert the course of justice against him.

Det Supt Mallon, who was accused of corruption - turning a blind eye to criminals in exchange for information - posed for photographs with Mr Straw and Tony Blair during the last general election campaign, when he was courted as a figurehead of tough policing. Hehas spent much of his near three-year suspension investigating what he believes to be a conspiracy.

Central to his argument are comments made at a recent court case against Detective Inspector Russ Daglish, a former member of his Middlesbrough CID squad and a principal witness against him.

The investigating officer in the Daglish case, Detective Superintendent Dick Mead, told the court that senior officers had pressured him and had aimed to "torpedo" his inquiry so that DI Daglish would remain a credible witness against Det Supt Mallon. The judge abandoned the trial, criticised senior officers and asked the force's Chief Constable, Barry Shaw, to investigate.

Det Supt Mallon said yesterday that his complaint was "obviously a very serious step and one not taken lightly. Having made such serious allegations I expect them to be investigated with vigour." He is seeking a public inquiry into the way that Operation Lancet, Cleveland Police's inquiry into his squad, has been conducted.

Last Friday, Mr Shaw himself became the subject of an inquiry into the alleged leaking of confidential legal papers that criticised Det Supt Mallon.