A FORMER policeman said he was devastated yesterday after charges against four senior Cleveland Police officers - who he claimed set him up - were dropped.

Control room Inspector Steve Bakewell, from Yarm, former Detective Inspector Russ Daglish, 44, of Stainton, and Detective Constables Martin Eggermont, 46, of Guisborough and Stewart Hopson, 40, of Ingleby Barwick, were cleared at Newcastle Crown Court yesterday.

The allegations against them followed claims by former traffic constable Sultan Alam that he was framed for a crime he did not commit.

He was the only Asian officer in the force's traffic division when he served nine-months of an 18-month prison sentence for handling stolen car parts - which he still insists he did not commit.

Mr Alam said last night: "I am obviously very disappointed. A lot of questions still remain to be answered. I am devastated."

The four were jointly charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, while Det Con Hopson and Insp Bakewell were also charged with perjury.

Det Con Eggermont faced an additional allegation of incitement to commit theft of a motor vehicle.

The investigation against them, supervised by the Police Complaints Authority, was launched in July 1999.

It was to probe allegations that a number of Cleveland Police officers committed perjury and conspired to pervert the course of justice, during a criminal investigation, which led to Mr Alam's conviction in 1996.

Mr Alam, of Middlesbrough, also claimed officers told lies at an employment tribunal, begun before his 1994 arrest.

The four accused officers continually protested their innocence and said they would have cleared their names if the case had got to trial.

Cleveland Police did not rule out last night the possibility of disciplinary action being taken against three of the four, who are serving police officers,

A force spokesman said: "During this pre-trial hearing the judge praised the diligence and thoroughness of the investigating officers but dismissed the case on the basis that the evidence of one of the main prosecution witnesses could not be relied upon.

"Although criminal proceedings are now at an end, a decision still remains to be taken on potential discipline and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further."