A COMPLAINTS investigation which resulted from a controversial murder inquiry is due to be wound up in the next few months.

The investigation began after it emerged that police had illegally bugged five men said to have been involved in the murder of Mark Corley.

Corley, a convicted robber from Grantham, Lincolnshire, was shot and his body dumped in a field at Bolam, near Darlington, in December 2000.

The trial of five defendants accused of conspiracy to murder Corley collapsed in January when it was revealed they had been illegally taped in private conversations with their solicitors.

Detective Chief Inspector Tony White, Detective Inspector Roger Bannister and Detective Sergeant Steve Thom, all of Lincolnshire Police, have since been taken off operational duties.

The force took over the murder inquiry from County Durham police after Corley's body was identified.

The officers' actions are now being investigated by an external force, West Yorkshire Police, and supervised by the Police Complaints Authority.

A spokeswoman for the authority said the investigation had taken longer than expected, but could be concluded in the next two months.

It would then be seeking the views of the Crown Prosecution Service as to what action, if any, to take against the officers.

Robert Sutherland, 36, of Bathgate, West Lothian, had pleaded not guilty to Corley's murder.

He also denied conspiracy to murder, together with John Smith, 27, Gary Self, 36, Danny Gray, 21, and John Toseland, 59, all from the Grantham area.