RAY Mallon and his wife, Carole, have separated.

The couple released a statement to The Northern Echo last night to bring to an end speculation about their 27-year marriage.

They insisted no third party is involved, and pleaded to be left alone by the media.

The Echo understands both Mr and Mrs Mallon are sad about the break-up, but that divorce proceedings will start soon.

The couple have two daughters, Victoria and Lois, who are both in their early 20s.

Throughout Mr Mallon's police career and his six-year suspension during the Operation Lancet probe, his wife had been by his side.

Mrs Mallon shied away from the media spotlight while the former head of CID embraced publicity.

But when he was banned from speaking to the press during the lengthy and costly anti-corruption probe, Mrs Mallon defended him when critics hit out.

In one interview, she said she decided to speak out because it was suggested what her husband had done was criminal. But she also told how her husband's dedication to the police service had put a strain on family life.

"I'm the closest person to Ray and I want people to know how much I support him and what kind of person he is," she said in 1997.

"Sometimes, I've felt like a lone parent. Ray loves his daughters but he has missed an awful lot of their growing up, like sports days, Christmas plays, family days out.

"Sometimes I have resented the hours he puts in - there is more to life than his job - but on the other hand I know the kind of person he is. It's pointless trying to change him. I've learned to accept it as a way of life, and the girls have too."

The couple, both aged 50 and from Stockton, met in 1974 shortly after Mr Mallon had left the police cadets. They were married four years later at St Bede's Church in Stockton.

Their statement last night said: "To avoid any further speculation, we can confirm that we have separated. The separation has been amicable and no third party is involved.

"We do not intend to make any further comment on this issue and would ask that the media respect our privacy on what is a personal matter."