A TWO-YEAR criminal investigation into a scenes of crime police officer has identified eight suspicious deaths where his failings could have had an impact on the case.

Cleveland Police have been examining allegations that Stephen Beattie lied about his qualifications. He has already been arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and theft.

Last year it was revealed that 90 cases involving the 49-year-old officer had been investigated but police have now identified hundreds of cases, including 141 cases of suspicious death inquiries that require review. Some arson cases have already been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Mr Beattie, who previously worked for Northumbrian and Staffordshire Police, is out on bail. He was arrested in February 2011 and resigned in October the same year.

As well as the criminal investigation, the matter has also been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and an investigation is being carried out by the police's Professional Standards Department.

The officer was first a scene of crime officer and then a crime scene manager. He is also accused of sub-standard work when involved in arson investigations.

No further details on the reopening of the case into the sudden death in the Cleveland Police area have been released. Major incident teams have scrutinised his work going back to 1996, when the officer worked for Staffordshire Police but there were no concerns about his work in his brief time at Northumbria Police.

The officer joined Cleveland Police in 2002 and worked there until his suspension. Staffordshire Police have already submitted an investigation report to the IPCC.

Police have re-examined 214 arson cases and 16 of the investigations have been referred to the CPS. The handling of 480 exhibits by the officer have also been identified as causing serious concern.

Detective Inspector Warren Shepheard from Cleveland Police’s investigation team said: “We are methodically working our way through this and we are making progress. We understand however that other people may have concerns and we have a dedicated phone line for callers to leave a message for the investigation team. That number is 01642-301677.”

IPCC Commissioner Cindy Butts said: “As this remains a criminal investigation we do not intend to go into specific detail about cases at this stage.”