Corrupt officer Dizaei jailed again

Feb 13 2012

Britain's most controversial police chief has been returned to jail after being found guilty of corruption for a second time.

Scotland Yard commander Ali Dizaei will never wear police uniform again after being convicted unanimously at his retrial of misconduct and perverting the course of justice.

He received a three-year prison sentence at London's Southwark Crown Court, although this will be reduced by the 15 months he has already spent behind bars. Dizaei is expected to serve half of his sentence, meaning he is likely to be freed from jail within three months.

Dizaei was first convicted of framing Waad al-Baghdadi in a street row in 2010 - but he walked out of Leyhill open prison a year later after the Court of Appeal quashed the conviction.

Guilty verdicts for a second time mean there is now no way back for the senior officer, who created a web of lies to cover his tracks.

Passing sentence, the judge, Mr Justice Saunders, said Dizaei used his position and power to arrest Mr al-Baghdadi because of a private dispute.

He told the policeman: "You are a very senior officer. The breach of trust that the public has placed in you is the more serious because of your senior appointment. You have been a role model to many other people as a result of your achievements as a police officer."

Iranian-born Dizaei, 49, from Acton, west London, was jailed for four years after being convicted of the same offences in February 2010. His barrister, Stephen Riordan QC, said his time in prison was "extremely difficult" because of his work as a high-profile police officer.

He said Dizaei was assaulted and admitted to hospital twice while serving his original sentence at an open prison. "Wherever he found himself incarcerated, he was at risk," he said.

Mr Justice Saunders said he took into account the time Dizaei spent on bail awaiting his second trial in passing a shorter sentence. Dizaei is expected to serve half of his sentence, meaning he is likely to be freed from jail within three months.