Lee Clegg police bid fails

Lee Clegg was working as a PT instructor in the Army

Former paratrooper Lee Clegg, who won a legal battle to clear his name over the shooting of two teenage joyriders in Belfast, has been rejected for a job in the police.

Mr Clegg, whose family comes from Bradford, was jailed for life in 1993 for murdering Karen Reilly, 18, and wounding Martin Peake, 17, who also died.

After a campaign by his supporters the convictions were later quashed.

On Tuesday West Yorkshire Police confirmed Mr Clegg had applied to join the force but had his application turned down.

I should be treated like everyone else and I should be allowed to become a police officer

Lee Clegg

A spokesman said: "West Yorkshire Police has made it clear to Mr Clegg the reasons for not appointing him as a constable.

"That decision was taken after detailed consideration of the many issues surrounding his case and on the receipt of legal advice.

"Full details of the rationale behind that decision have been provided to Mr Clegg."

In March 1999, Mr Clegg was cleared of the murder conviction after a long legal process and a retrial.

Stolen car

Soldiers had opened fire on the stolen car in which the two teenagers were travelling as it was driven along the Glen Road in Belfast in 1990.

They alleged it was driven through a checkpoint.

Mr Clegg said afterwards that he had feared a terrorist attack.

Karen Reilly and Martin Peake were killed

The paratrooper was accused of using excessive force and firing a fourth shot into the back of the car, when it was no longer a danger to him or his colleagues.

He was freed on licence two years later and cleared of murder at the retrial.

The wounding conviction was quashed in January 2000.

Army promotion

Mr Clegg was later promoted to corporal as an Army physical training instructor.

On leaving the Army he had hoped to pursue a career with the police.

The ex-paratrooper, who applied to join the force last autumn, said he had passed all the force's written recruitment tests, but six months later he was told he was not being taken on.

He told BBC Look North he was "absolutely devastated" by the decision.

He said: "To be quite honest, my mother cried because she felt that I was being victimised again simply because of a terrible tragedy in Northern Ireland, of which I've subsequently been acquitted.

'Disciplined service'

"I believe that after 10 years of me fighting along with my family to clear my name that justice has been given to me and therefore I should be treated like everyone else and I should be allowed to become a police officer, especially if I passed their criteria of being one."

He told the programme: "I would like eventually to get into a disciplined service like the fire service or the police force just so I can have job security after I come out of the Army and if not I think I'll be writing some memoirs."

Mr Clegg is now taking up his case with Bradford MP Gerry Sutcliffe and Home Secretary David Blunkett.