A FORMER police officer was yesterday awarded £25,000 after an employment tribunal ruled he had suffered racial discrimination at the hands of the Police Federation.

Sultan Alam's said he had been set up in a car-ringing fraud as a direct result of a complaint to Cleveland Police after a Ku Klux Klan poster was left in his in-tray.

Mr Alam, 44, of Acklam, Middlesbrough, was declined legal support by the Police Federation three times, following his conviction for handling stolen goods.

However, four officers he said set him up were given the federation's full support during their trial for perverting the course of justice.

Yesterday's ruling came on the day Mr Alam, in separate proceedings, lodged a High Court appeal against his conviction.

Tribunal chairman Michael Malone, who ruled that £7,500 of the compensation was for aggravated damages, recommended that the federation now assume costs and responsibility for the appeal.

Mr Alam said last night: "It is 12 years and two days since my arrest.

"Had the federation fulfilled its duties and responsibilities by funding my appeal, this could have been over much earlier. No amount of money can compensate me or turn the clock back."

Mark Jackson, appearing for the federation, told yesterday's hearing that the union was reviewing its policies and that a letter of apology had been sent to Mr Alam.

However, Mr Alam said: "I do not wish to sound ungrateful, but it (the apology) simply is not good enough.

"Why has no one come to see me and spoken to me and shaken my hand as a friend and apologised. They are empty words."

In September, Mr Malone produced a 37-page document in which he found that Mr Alam had twice suffered racial discrimination and victimisation in February last year, and again earlier this year, when he appealed against previous decisions to refuse legal support.

Mr Alam's claims of discrimination followed the support given to the four serving officers -Inspector Steve Bakewell, former Detective Inspector Russ Daglish, and Detective Constables Martin Eggermont and Stewart Hopson -who were charged with perverting the course of justice in relation to the conviction of Mr Alam. The charges were dropped at Newcastle Crown Court and the men walked free.

The four officers were given legal support by the federation to fight their criminal charges.

The hearing, which awarded Mr Alam a further £2,614 in interest, ruled that that compensation for loss of earnings would be determined after the outcome of his appeal against conviction.