DARLINGTON Football Club chairman George Reynolds has failed to produce a shred of evidence in his action against Cleveland Police, a court was told yesterday.

At the end of a week-long hearing at Middlesbrough County Court, Aidan Marron QC, for the police, said Mr Reynolds had instead made repeated "wicked, baseless and groundless assertions".

The chipboard magnate, who was arrested on August 10, 1992, on charges of threatening to carry out criminal damage, is suing Cleveland's Chief Constable, Barry Shaw,.

He is alleging wrongful arrest, illegal detention and malicious prosecution.

Conducting his own case, the millionaire claimed his separation from his former wife, Karen, had led to her family waging war on him and his then girlfriend, Susan.

Mr Reynolds said that even after reporting "a catalogue of serious crimes" police officers had largely ignored his complaints.

It had been a different story, he said, when Karen's sister, Tracy Brown, told Cleveland Police that Mr Reynolds had threatened her.

"I was arrested, charged and refused bail," said Mr Reynolds.

The Brown family, he claimed, had orchestrated his arrest in a bid to keep him away from a custody hearing for his daughter.

The reformed safeblower claimed that following the intervention of Superintendent John Blake, of Durham Police, officers at Stockton had refused him bail and detained him for the night before conducting protracted committal proceedings, at the end of which charges were dropped.

Mr Marron, however, said Mr Reynolds had repeatedly accused officers of operating a web of deceit and committing everything from perjury to being in people's pockets.

But he said: "There wasn't one bit of evidence materialised to sustain any of these baseless and groundless allegations."

The police, said Mr Marron, had very good reason to arrest Mr Reynolds and were justified in detaining him.

Mr Reynolds ended his submissions assuring Judge Taylor that he had never made any threatening calls.

"If you believe that I made those phone calls, I lose, if you believe I didn't make those phone calls, I win."

A judgement on the case is due to be made on Monday.

Slugging it out - Page