THREE men accused of using the police computer to unmask a love cheat have been cleared.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that Terrence Haley, 45, suspected his wife, Jill, was having an affair and had hired a private eye to prove it.

Jurors were told the detective discovered she was seeing a married man, John Turner.

The court was told that Haley asked his cousin, John Rowe, 34, a former Northumbria Police officer, to help find out who he was.

But the jury did not believe Haley conspired with Mr Rowe and Mr Rowe's friend and former colleague Ray Edmonds, 38, who was based in Sunderland, to use the police computer to gain Mr Turner's car registration and address.

A police investigation began in August last year when Haley's wife handed detectives a scrap of paper torn from a police document.

On it was written, in her husband's handwriting, Mr Turner's private car registration details and his previous registration plate, the date the car was registered, and his name and address.

The paper was also marked with two of Mr Haley's thumbprints.

Checks of the database showed a series of checks had been made by Mr Edmonds on Mr Turner and his vehicle.

Phone record checks showed the three alleged conspirators called each other on the same day.

Mr Edmonds, Mr Rowe, and Mr Haley, all of Sunderland, denied conspiring to obtain personal information from the police computer system.

Mr Haley was cleared and prosecutors considered whether to bring a retrial against Mr Rowe and Mr Edmonds, before deciding against it.

Defence barrister Julian Smith told the court the case was brought on the basis that a "chain conspiracy" had taken place and that because Mr Haley had been cleared, the others must also be innocent.