A black policeman is suing the Cleveland force claiming he was publicly humiliated by fellow officers when a woman falsely accused him of rape.

The woman - who was a mentally-ill drug abuser - told detectives she had been attacked by PC Steven Allen and another man at her home in November 1995, more than six months earlier.

PC Allen, who specialised in undercover work, was arrested by detectives from Cleveland Police at Millgate Police Station, in Leeds, minutes before he was due to start his shift.

Yesterday, a High Court hearing heard claims that he was abused by Cleveland officers who ignored his alibi because he was black.

The court, sitting in Newcastle, was told that the ordeal had turned him from an industrious, conscientious and ambitious police officer into a depressed and frightened man who had turned to drink.

PC Allen, who joined the Metropolitan Police Force in 1987 before transferring north in 1995 to join West Yorkshire Police, is suing the Chief Constable of Cleveland claiming unlawful arrest and false imprisonment. He also claims that a search of his locker and home were unlawful.

PC Allen never worked for the Cleveland force but was questioned by its officers because the alleged rape was said to have happened in Middlesbrough.

The High Court heard how he was arrested after Middlesbrough police were contacted by a woman, who called herself Elizabeth and said she was about to become a barrister, claiming she had been raped by a man called Steve.

PC Allen's barrister Eric Elliott told the court: "She said she was 29 and had a very privileged upbringing, including education at a boarding school in North Yorkshire, then Swiss finishing school."

Mr Elliott added: "Alarm bells should have been ringing in the officer's ears because she also told them she had psychological problems.

"They should have been obtaining as full a medical history as possible about her but the officers appeared to be spellbound.

"Had they made simple and straight forward inquiries before dashing off and arresting him they would have found out she did indeed have severe mental illness, paranoid delusions and found it difficult to separate fantasy from reality.

"She had already told police of her drug taking. She was a habitual cannabis user who occasionally took amphetamine and ecstasy and had experimented with LSD and heroin."

Despite protesting his innocence, PC Allen was paraded through four police stations and questioned persistently and aggressively before being released in the early hours of the next morning. He said he was abused and made to feel inferior because he was black.

The court heard how a "touch of a button" on the police computer would have shown that Mr Allen had a cast iron alibi because he was on duty when the attack was supposed to have taken place.

Mr Elliott told the court: "This is an example of officers failing to carry out even the most fundamental checks."

The court was told that Mr Allen had previously been introduced to the woman who made the complaint by a mutual friend.

PC Graham Scott, of Cleveland Police, told the court yesterday how the force contacted Elizabeth's brother. He confirmed the details of her upbringing and said she had always wanted to be a barrister but had let her studies slip after the alleged offence.

PC Scott added: "When I first met her, Elizabeth was upset and crying which I would expect with the nature of the allegation. She was coherent, very softly and quietly spoken but very articulate."

Cleveland Police say PC Allen was arrested to protect the integrity of the inquiry and to preserve any evidence that may still exist.

The case continues