A DISGRACED chief constable has appeared in court as Cleveland Police attempt to recover more than £500,000 it says he should not have been paid while he was head of the force.

Sean Price, however, has branded the exercise vindictive and pointless.

He also claimed he couldn't pay it back even if a court agrees that the ‘golden handcuffs’ and bonus payments should never have been paid.

The disgraced officer, became the first police chief to be sacked in 35 years when Cleveland Police dismissed him in October 2012 for gross misconduct, is being sued for the cash by Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Barry Coppinger.

Following a preliminary hearing before Mr Justice Coulson at Newcastle Crown Court, Mr Price told reporters the move was vindictive, that Mr Coppinger had been party to agreeing the payments when he was a member of Cleveland Police Authority, and that the case was a waste of public money.

Police authorities were replaced by PCCs' offices following elections in 2012.

A civil claim, expected to last two weeks, will take place in March.

Outside Newcastle Crown Court today, (Wednesday, October 8), Mr Price said the case was only going ahead out of vindictiveness after he was cleared of any wrong-doing following the collapse of the lengthy corruption investigation Operation Sacristy.

He said: “I think it’s a real irony that Barry Coppinger was one of the people who authorised the payments as they wanted me to stay at Cleveland Police and it is he who wants to claim the money back.

"So I look forward to [the court case], I don’t think that it is lawful what they are trying to do, but of course it is to go ahead.”

When asked about the reason he feels the force is pursuing its claim against him, he said: “I’ve done nothing wrong, I haven’t got the money and this is just a further waste of public money. There has been around £50,000 wasted so far, so imagine how much a two-week trial is going to cost.”

In March, Mr Price was told he would not be facing criminal charges following a 41-month criminal investigation into allegations of corruption in the force.

However, the spending culture of Cleveland Police justified the sacking of Mr Price and his deputy, Derek Bonnard, according to Operation Sacristy chiefs.

The civil court hearing centres on Mr Price receiving a £50,000 retention package and an honorarium of £24,000 - a bonus for cutting crime – during his time as chief constable.

When he took the top job in 2003 his original salary of £125,000 included a £32,000 car allowance, £4,000 a year towards private school fees for his son and £1,000 towards private health insurance.

By the time he was suspended in 2011, his total was £200,000.

During the hearing, Mr Justice Coulson recommended that Mr Price pay for legal advice ahead of the proposed two-week trial scheduled to take place in March next year.

He said: “I would urge you to see if you can find some way of receiving some legal assistance because the issues raised are significant for you.”

A spokesperson for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner said: “The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner has a corporate responsibility to pursue this case on behalf of the public purse and it would be inappropriate to comment further until the conclusion of the ongoing litigation.”