Sting exposes corrupt police

A senior detective was commended by a judge at the Old Bailey yesterday for his "delicate undercover role" in exposing corrupt dealings between two former police officers and two men facing criminal investigations.

The disgraced officers acted as go-betweens in attempts to get Detective Chief Inspector Peter Elcock to sabotage the cases, the court heard. But the detective was suspicious and alerted his superiors. Mr Elcock then posed as a crooked officer willing to go along with the corruption - while secretly taping the meetings to expose it. Two men - known for legal reasons only as Mr X and Mr Y - were both convicted yesterday of conspiring to pervert the course of justice.