Police officer leaked information

Mr Rice was shot several times while sitting in his car

A former Northumbria Police officer has been found guilty of passing on police information to a murder suspect.

Newcastle Crown Court was told that Det Con John Jones became the "eyes and ears" of gangland leader Allan Foster.

The court heard his actions meant that Mr Foster, wanted for the killing of a South Tyneside drug dealer, could stay one step ahead of the law.

Jones, from Seaham in County Durham, was found guilty of four charges of misconduct in a public office.

He will be sentenced on Wednesday.

The jury heard that Jones began associating with Mr Foster, who worked out at the same gym.

At one point they went to London for a night out in London involving prostitutes and cocaine.

Severely impaired

After the murder of David "Noddy" Rice in South Shields in 2006, Mr Foster, now 32, was able to stay one step ahead of the authorities and spirit himself out from the country.

He is now believed to be hiding in Spain.

After he was arrested, Jones told officers he associated with Mr Foster in all innocence, but accepted he had been foolish.

Det Supt Ian Daws, head of the Northumbria Police Integrity Unit, said the corruption investigation began soon after Mr Rice was killed.

He said: "Witnesses were refusing to speak to detectives because they believed Allan Foster had 'a cop on the payroll'.

"Jones' failure to respond to the request for information in the murder investigation severely impaired the progress of that case in its early stages."

Det Supt Barbara Franklin said: "We are still actively seeking Allan Foster and would ask anyone with information to contact the police."