FIVE police officers branded as liars by a High Court judge in a civil lawsuit were yesterday acquitted in a criminal trial when a jury cleared them of perjury.

After the not guilty verdicts, the three inspectors, a sergeant, and a constable, are to be reinstated and will return to Strathclyde police duties this morning.

Two of their colleagues who were cleared of the perjury charge at an earlier stage have already been reinstated.

The officers had been suspended from duty during a 22-month investigation into a heroin dealer's claim that he was beaten with baseball bats and pick shafts during a drug squad raid.

As serving officers, the men could not comment yesterday, but solicitor Peter Watson, in overall charge of their defence, said: ''There is a feeling of quiet relief that it is over and a determination to get back to the job.''

The criminal investigation began after Mr Gerald Rae, 41, of Hathaway Lane, Maryhill, Glasgow, successfully sued Mr John Orr, Strathclyde's Chief Constable, over injuries he said he received during the drug squad raid. Rae, a major Glasgow criminal with an appalling record, was found dead of an overdose of heroin last month.

Court of Session judge Lord Marnoch awarded Rae #3000 damages last year, and added that police ''were prepared to give untruthful evidence from the witness box''.

The perjury charges alleged an attempted cover-up of what happened at Mr Rae's former home in Cartside Street, Langside, almost nine years ago.

A criminal trial requires a higher standard of proof - beyond reasonable doubt - as against the civil requirement for mere balance of probabilities.

Trial judge Lord Milligan told the jury that to find the five officers guilty they had to be convinced that Mr Rae had been assaulted. They also had to believe the officers were ''deliberately, clearly, and unambiguously lying.''

The verdicts were immediately welcomed as ''an absolute vindication'' by solicitor David Glancy, acting for Inspector John Pollock, who was in charge on the night of the raid. The lawyer said the six-week trial was the first time a court had heard all the facts.

Mr David Yule, chairman of Strathclyde Police Federation, said: ''While it is always right and

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proper that complaints against police officers are investigated, and seen to be investigated properly, this case demonstrates perfectly our concern that complaints made maliciously by professional criminals for self-interested reasons can have horrendous consequences for innocent officers who are simply doing their job.''

There was strong feeling among police about the case, compounded by a decision by the Scottish Executive to launch an inquiry into the funding of officers' defences.

Mr Rae told the trial that as he stepped out his flat a crowd came rushing up the stair. He recognised one of the accused, Mr Frank Thom. Mr Rae said he knew Mr Thom was a police officer with the drug squad.

He said they were carrying shafts and baseball bats. He ran into his bedroom and was followed by the police. ''They made me face the wall and put my hands up to my head,'' said Mr Rae. He added he was hit on both thighs and fell to the floor, lying face down.

The court heard that the noise made downstairs neighbours, who did not know Mr Rae at the time, think someone was being murdered. Teacher Alexander Thomson, 37, dialled 999, only to discover later that the ''gang'' he had reported were police officers.

The police stuck by the account they had earlier given to the Court of Session in December 1997. They insisted bruises later found on Mr Rae were the result of a legitimate struggle to restrain and handcuff him as he lay on the floor, lashing out with fists and feet. No weapons were used, they said.

Doctors gave differing views on whether a beating or a struggle was the more likely explanation for Mr Rae's injuries.

The officers involved, Inspector Thom, 47; Inspector Pollock, 50; Detective Inspector Ian McBain, 48; Detective Sergeant James Dinnen, 41; and Detective Constable John Kelly, 37, had all denied that Mr Rae had been assaulted and struck with wooden weapons.

The perjury charges alleged that the truth of the matter was that Mr Rae had been assaulted, in the way he himself had claimed.

At the end of the crown case, Detective Sergeant Katrona Jackson, 39, and PC Andrew Caie, 42, were cleared after Lord Milligan backed their lawyers' argument that they had no case to answer.

Whe the returned yesterday after almost two hours to deliver their verdicts, the officers showed no reaction but there were sobs of relief and joy from family and friends in the public benches.