A POLICE inspector appeared before magistrates yesterday charged with theft and forgery.
Inspector Neil O'Byrne, 40, of Cleveland Police, appeared before Teesside magistrates and faced two charges of theft, two of forgery and one of breaching the Data Protection Act.
He is accused of stealing a lap-top computer worth almost £2,800 and a hi-fi system worth almost £700, both of which belonged to Cleveland Police.
The hearing was adjourned until January 8, but Insp O'Byrne was told he need not attend that hearing. A committal date was set for January 24 at Teesside Magistrates' Court. He was granted unconditional bail.
Insp O'Byrne, a divorced father of three, joined the Metropolitan Police in 1979 before moving to Cleveland in 1987.
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