CLEVELAND Police may face legal action after Stephen Whenary was badly beaten by officers who burst into his bathroom.

The pictures of his injuries reveal the extent of the violent confrontation that took place when police responded to reports of an argument.

His face was left covered in blood, he had a cut to the back of his head and lacerations on his shoulders.

A large bruise was visible on his arm and there were further minor cuts and abrasions on his wrists. Both his feet suffered deep cuts during the struggle.

When, during the trial, Mr Whenary's partner, Lynne Stockton, the former wife of a police officer, was shown the pictures for the first time, she visibly winced.

Cleveland Chief Constable Sean Price has already ordered an inquiry into what happened during the incident in Pine Street, Norton, Stockton.

The trial heard how Mr Whenary was dragged out of the house naked after a violent confrontation in the bathroom.

He was subsequently charged with assault and resisting arrest.

But the prosecution case began to unravel almost from the moment the case began earlier this week. Under cross-examination, police officers gave different accounts of what happened.

The court heard evidence from PC Steven Meredith that an officer kicked down a shower door to get at Mr Whenary when he was trying to wash CS spray off his face.

But PCs David Medd and Paul Malcolm, who were both in the bathroom, gave different evidence about the incident and said PC Meredith was not there at the time.

The PC who smashed down the shower door and hit Mr Whenary over the head with a baton did not appear in court to give evidence.

The trial heard how PC Shaun Mahaffey went on holiday two days before he was due to give his account of the incident. The charges relating to him were, therefore, dropped.

On the third day of the hearing, three of the four charges were thrown out.

District Judge Roger Elsey cleared Mr Whenary of the fourth and final charge of assaulting a police officer yesterday.

In summing up, he said Mr Whenary was: "Visibly moved to tears by the recollection of the events of that day."

After the hearing, his solicitor, Carroll Slaney, read out a statement that said: "Stephen has always maintained his innocence in these matters and he was confident that when the court heard the evidence, his innocence would be confirmed.

"That is precisely what happened.

"This has been an extremely difficult and emotional eight months for Mr Whenary, his family and friends."