A former anti-terrorist police officer has been cleared of 17 charges of theft of items including toilet rolls and mops from police stations in Anglesey.
Sgt Eirwyn Pritchard, 47, of North Wales Police, appeared at Mold Crown Court after a complaint by his ex-wife.
Emma Pritchard claimed the ex-Metropolitan police officer brought home bags of sundry items every week.
A jury took two hours to find Sgt Pritchard not guilty of the charges which he had denied.
During the trial, prosecutor Simon Rogers said the officer pocketed items from Anglesey police stations and took them home for his own use.
They included cleaning materials, toilet rolls, a mop and bucket, a policeman's helmet and a police utility belt, the court heard.
In evidence, Mrs Pritchard said her ex-husband would come home every third day with bin bags full of items stolen from the police.
"From my point of view, and that of my legal team, I should never have been here in the first place"
She told the court that she had come forward because of her conscience and she did not want to get into trouble herself.
But Sgt Pritchard said he believed his ex-wife, of Llandudno, had "set out to cause as much trouble and angst" as she could.
Sgt Pritchard, of Old Colwyn, told the court he had not seen the utility belt and took the helmet home so that his new baby daughter could be photographed inside it.
He intended to return it to the station but shortly after left home, the court heard.
Roderick Priestley, defending, said claims he returned home every third day with bins full of stolen property were "complete nonsense".
Agreed figures based on Mrs Pritchard's evidence showed he would have, over two years, stolen 240 mop heads and 312 air fresheners.
But the Western Police Division, over a three year period, only bought 42 mop heads and 134 air freshener bottles, the court heard.
In four years they bought 52 cans of polish while he was said to have stolen 156.
Sgt Pritchard, a former Metropolitan anti-terrorist, robbery squad and regional crime unit member in London, had moved back to north Wales when he met his former wife.
They married in September 2003 and divorced towards the end of 2007.
Sgt Pritchard said his ex-wife had tried to get him into trouble in other ways by writing to the tax man saying he had not paid tax, when he was owed £300.
She also left a box of ashes on his doorstep with a letter, and she falsely reported him for drink-driving.
After the case, Sgt Pritchard, who was a uniform sergeant at Llangefni, then sergeant in special branch in Holyhead port, said he was glad it was all over.
"From my point of view, and that of my legal team, I should never have been here in the first place," he said.
"There has been an unbelievable amount of strain which has not only affected myself, but also my family and close friends, who have shared the trauma with me."
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