A NORTH-East man faces prosecution for allegedly using false passports.

Former Middlesbrough car dealer Brian Charrington was formally acquitted of conspiracy charges at Leeds Crown Court this week, but the Crown Prosecution Service plans to proceed against the 43-year-old for alleged passport offences.

The convicted drugs smuggler, who is wanted by authorities in both Germany and France, denies the charges.

As well as Teesside detectives Ian Weedon and Paul Hardy, and retired detective Jim McSorley he was formally found not guilty by a judge at the court of a charge of conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office.

The case collapsed when Judge Kerry MacGill ruled phone tap evidence - central to the prosecution's case - was inadmissable.

A spokeswoman for the Crown Prosecution Service said: "We will be considering the judge's ruling and we may well refer it to the Attorney General for the Attorney General to consider an Attorney's Reference on a point of law.

"If the Attorney agrees, it goes to the Court of Appeal to look at the ruling to see if there are any points of law which need clarifying.''

Cleveland's acting deputy chief constable Della Cannings is considering internal disciplinary matters against the two serving police officers.

Cleveland Police Federation spokesman, Chief Inspector Paul Rider said: "An inquiry of this nature places officers and their families under intolerable stress throughout the duration of the inquiry. It is imperative that the Government learns lessons from inquiries of this nature and puts in place procedures and protocols to ensure police officers receive expeditious and equitable justice.''