A FORMER Cleveland Police officer could be awarded £1m in damages after he was wrongfully sent to prison as a result of a malicious prosecution brought by colleagues.

Cleveland Police has today admitted liability after it was sued by ex-Pc Sultan Alam, who has battled to win justice for 17 years after his life was destroyed.

He was wrongly prosecuted and convicted of handling stolen goods in 1996, two years after first being accused of “car ringing”.

He served half his 18-month sentence behind bars and, once free, began the long battle to clear his name while working as a taxi driver.

That culminated in 2007 with him being cleared by the Court of Appeal.

Full story and reaction in tomorrow's Northern Echo