Police chief wins book libel case

Mr Otter said he had been reluctant to go to court

Devon and Cornwall Chief Constable Stephen Otter has received a public apology after an attack in a book by a fellow senior officer.

Mr Otter brought a libel action over a book by Met Police Ch Supt Ali Dizaei.

Mr Otter said the book gave a false account of evidence he gave at a trial of Mr Dizaei for perverting the course of justice. Mr Dizaei was cleared.

Mr Otter won an apology and damages in the High Court from Mr Dizaei, his co-author and the book's publishers.

Prosecution witness

Mr Otter also won his costs in the case which revolved around references in the book, Not One Of Us, to criminal proceedings against Mr Dizaei in 2003.

Ch Supt Dizaei apologised to the chief constable

At the time of the Old Bailey trial, Mr Otter and Mr Dizaei were officers in the Metropolitan Police.

Passages in the book contained material which Mr Otter, a prosecution witness at the trial, regarded as libellous.

Victoria Jolliffe, appearing for Mr Dizaei, co-author Tim Phillips and publishers Profile Books, told Mr Justice Tugendhat that Mr Otter "did not give false evidence".

Mr Otter said after the case: "I was reluctant to bring a claim, not least as one of the authors is a serving police officer with whom I worked at the Metropolitan Police.

"However, I was not prepared to allow such a serious attack on my character to go unchallenged."

The damages, reported to be "substantial", will be donated to charity.