THE public image of Marty Yates-Brown, a former senior Mr Britain, grandfather and fitness club boss, is far removed from the man whose life was laid bare in court.

The 55-year-old entrepreneur, who built up the Classic World of Fitness chain over the past 20 years, is a shadow of his former self.

No longer a successful businessman or champion bodybuilder, Yates-Brown will now be forever known as a drug-trafficker who conspired to flood the North-East with cannabis.

A popular and well-known figure around Darlington, Yates-Brown made his name building up a prominent fitness club empire.

The Classic World of Fitness chain had gyms in Darlington, Newton Aycliffe, Bishop Auckland and Crook. He also co-owned seven gyms in the North-West with his brother, who no longers speaks to him because of his drugs involvement.

A keen fitness fan, Yates-Brown took up body-building after being bullied at school and it was a sport he excelled at.

He first started out competing professionally in the 1970s and became Mr Novice Great Britain in 1978.

After a ten-year relapse that allowed him to build up his business, including his car garage, Classic Cars and later Yarm Road Garage, he began competing again.

In June 1989, he became the North-East bodybuilding champion in the senior Mr Britain competition. The following year, he represented Britain in the World bodybuilding championships in Japan.

During his time on the circuit, he met and befriended Hollywood superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger.

It was through the fitness industry that Yates-Brown is believed to have first become involved with drugs.

A Darlington businessman, who did not want to be named, told The Northern Echo: "Marty

Yates-Brown has been selling drugs for years, mainly steroids. He was dishing them out for a long time. I was not surprised at all when I saw his name in the newspaper saying he had been arrested."

When revelations of his involvement in the drug world became public knowledge in January 2000, Yates-Brown resigned from his post as regional director of Classic World of Fitness.

After his first court appearance in Darlington, the former bodybuilding champion strongly denied any involvement and vowed to clear his name.

But when the case came before Teesside Crown Court in February, he changed his plea to guilty and became chief prosecution witness against men he incriminated in trafficking activities.

Shortly after this, Yates-Brown called The Northern Echo and said a contract had been taken out on his life . When he agreed to turn Queen's Evidence, senior detectives had given him a new identity but Yates-Brown still did not feel safe.

He was forced to leave his home in Middleton-St-George, near Darlington, and, since then, moved to nine different locations in the North-East. His business was also in trouble. His North-East fitness chain crumbled, leaving hundreds of gym users in the lurch and him £500,000 out of pocket.

Due to the charges he faced, he was unable to borrow £35,000 to enable the business to continue after Customs and Excise officers froze his assets. The regional side of the firm went into liquidation.

As Yates-Brown started his jail term last night, he was no doubt reflecting on what could have been. His success as both a bodybuilder and businessman lies in tatters and he may never again be able to walk the streets as Marty Yates-Brown.

'Drug trafficking ring' revealed as web of lies

MARTY Yates-Brown became the chief prosecution witness during a trial in February against men he accused of being involved in drug trafficking.

During the trial at Teesside Crown Court, Yates-Brown claimed that he only took part because he soon believed cannabis would be legalised and wanted to make money.

Half-way through the trial, during an intense cross-examination by the defence lawyer for Clive Jefferson, Yates-Brown made reference to a meeting he had had with Detective Sergeant Robert Coulson, of Northumbria Police, who was heading the investigation.

The meeting, on November 25, 1999, was conducted after he had been arrested, interviewed and charged.

Yates-Brown's disclosure was the first reference to this meeting in the trial. The meeting had also not been disclosed in case papers or documents in the period running up to the trial.

Judge Les Spittle said the meeting between Yates-Brown and Coulson was of crucial importance.

No account of what took place in the meeting, either in form of tape recordings or written notes, was recorded and it was found that Det Sgt Coulson instructed the custody officer to make no entry in the custody log of Yates-Brown showing that the meeting had taken place.

During his summing up of the trial, Judge Spittle, said: "It is clear he (Yates-Brown) told lies in these interviews as to the alleged activities of the other persons and persisted in them for some time."

Judge Spittle strongly criticised Det Sgt Coulson's role in the inquiries. He said: "The fact of this meeting should have been recorded on the custody record. Det Sgt Coulson deliberately arranged for it to be omitted.

"He caused a custody officer to commit a gross breach of his duty, undermining the integrity of the log so that an important fact was suppressed. I find the explanation put forward by Det Sgt Coulson for his actions to be lame and lacking in credibility."

In light of the new evidence, the trial was discharged. Raymond Bell, Colin Dunn, John Churchill, Charles Hardie and Clive Jefferson were found not guilty.

Yesterday, John Tansey and Neil Coates were sentenced after the case against them was pursued by HM Customs and Excise.

Relief and fury of men caught up in trial

ONE of the men accused by Marty Yates-Brown of being members of a drug-smuggling ring spoke last night of their relief that their names had been cleared.

After being told they were free to leave the court, they said they were glad they to have been proved innocent - but were angry about the conduct of detective Robert Coulson.

Clive Jefferson said that he had never met any of the defendants he stood accused with.

The first time he met them was when they stood side by side in the dock at Teesside Crown Court.

He said: "I was implicated by Yates-Brown on no evidence whatsoever. It is absolutely disgraceful what has happened. How can I be brought to court just on the statements of this one man?

"Yates-Brown didn't even know my phone number. There was no surveillance until the police came and kicked my front door in, all because of his say-so.

"There was no collaborative evidence - it has all been on what Marty Yates-Brown said. I have never had any contact with any of the other defendants.

"I know Marty Yates-Brown because I do business with gyms in Cumbria. He has just pulled these allegations out of a hat.

"I feel relieved that it is all over, but I am angry that I actually had to come to court. I have lost faith in the British justice system."