THE Crown Prosecution Service was last night facing growing pressure to re-open a criminal investigation into Ray Mallon and other officers suspended following Operation Lancet.

Following a day in which Cleveland Police Chief Constable Barry Shaw broke his silence to launch a blistering attack in which he accused the man dubbed Robocop of having "lied, lied and lied again", the CPS is to be asked to reconsider its stance.

It declared 18 months ago that, having reviewed the files from anti-corruption inquiry Lancet, there was insufficient evidence for a criminal prosecution against the former detective superintendent and seven other suspended officers.

The Northern Echo can reveal that figures at the highest level of Government have this week been taking a keen interest in the ongoing controversy.

Yesterday Cleveland Police Authority, following a motion from chairman Ken Walker, said it wished Chief Constable Barry Shaw to "seriously consider" resubmitting the Lancet files to the CPS.

The chief constable's attack effectively branded Mr Mallon as being corrupt and having perverted the course of justice. But that led to fresh questions about how he could therefore have been cleared of criminal misconduct.

Mr Mallon, who last week pleaded guilty to 14 internal disciplinary charges in a bid to quit the force in time to stand for mayor of Middlesbrough, said he welcomed any new examination of the Lancet findings.

He said: "On every occasion when anyone independent of Cleveland Police has looked at these matters, they have cleared my name."

Last night, the CPS indicated it would be willing to re-examine Lancet if any fresh evidence came to light.

A spokeswoman said: "We have looked at this issue and reached a decision already, but we are willing to look at any evidence again if a file is re-submitted to us."

Earlier, at a packed meeting of the Cleveland Police Authority, the details of the disciplinary charges admitted by Mr Mallon - "required to resign" from the force more than four years after he was suspended as the head of Middlesbrough CID - were revealed.

These included failing to investigate an allegation that a detective had supplied a controlled drug to a prisoner and failing to take appropriate measures against a detective he knew was a drug user.

Chief Constable Shaw accused Mr Mallon - credited with pioneering zero tolerance policing on Teesside - of being at the centre of an "empire of evil" and spoke for the first time about Operation Lancet.

He said: "For more than four years the people of Cleveland have been fed a diet of lies, innuendo and half truths by the man who now wants to be the mayor of Middlesbrough.

"Under the manipulation of Mr Mallon, Operation Lancet has become, in the public eye, the vilification of an innocent man, a vendetta by a group of twisted senior police officers, and an evil force dedicated to drive a man from his job.

"Nothing can be further from the truth and now is time for the truth to come out."

Former Assistant Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom - now Chief Constable of North Wales - spoke at the police authority meeting having been involved in the initial stages of Operation Lancet.

He drew gasps when he described Mr Mallon -who attended the meeting - as a "thoroughly evil person" who had betrayed the public. He said Mr Mallon had pleaded guilty to an "appalling litany of serious professional misconduct" and also accused him of running anti-police propaganda through the Press.

Both Chief Constable Shaw and chairman of the police authority, Councillor Walker, rejected calls that they should quit because of the on-going controversy surrounding Cleveland Police.

Mr Shaw said he was the oldest chief constable in the country and could have retired five years ago if he had wanted to.

He denied that the disciplinary proceedings against Mr Mallon had been deliberately dragged out and said there had been "no secret deal" to free him from the force.

Lancet is already the subject of a review by the Home Office announced in May last year, but there have been repeated calls for a public inquiry into why the massive probe went on for so long.

Cleveland Police are understood to have already made representations to the Government about the boundaries they were forced to work within for Lancet.

It cost almost £7m and saw dozens of officers diverted from frontline duties to investigate their colleagues.

The inquiry levelled nearly 400 criminal allegations against 60 Cleveland Police officers, but no criminal charges were ever brought as a result.

Since resigning from the force, Mr Mallon has become business manager for Middlesbrough-based kitchen and bathroom outlet, the HS Group. This allows Mr Mallon, who lives in Stockton, to qualify for the mayoral race.