THE Police Complaints Authority is investigating a formal complaint against North Yorkshire Police over evidence produced by the force for Peter Bleach's trial in India.

Supporters in Britain lodged the complaint last year on behalf of the North Yorkshire arms dealer, who was freed yesterday after spending eight years locked up in Calcutta for his part in an illegal arms drop in West Bengal.

The supporters say a key element of their complaint is that details of his close relationship with the authorities in Britain before the drop were missing from important documents submitted by police to the court.

They say Bleach - a former pupil at St Peter's School, in York - believes this could have had an unfair influence on the outcome of the case - and might even have led to a conviction for sedition and the imposition of the death penalty.

He is expected to fly home to Britain tomorrow.

Bleach, who was cleared of sedition but jailed for life after being convicted of conspiracy to wage war, claims two important paragraphs were missing from the documents.

The 52-year-old says he had three interviews with North Yorkshire police in 1995, in which he informed them about the proposed arms drop, and Britain subsequently passed the information on to India before it took place.

North Yorkshire police confirmed in 1997 that Bleach had tipped them off, but claimed he had been clearly instructed not to get involved - a claim disputed by Bleach.

The supporters said the complaint to the PCA followed up concerns raised by Bleach at his trial.

"If Bleach voluntarily approached the authorities and gave full details of the proposed arms drop, how can this be construed as conspiracy?" asked one of the supporters.

They said the PCA had passed on details of the complaint to North Yorkshire Police, who had investigated and given their formal response to the authority.

They understood the matter had been placed on hold by the PCA until Bleach returned to Britain.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire police said: "A complaint has been made and a report is with the PCA."

He declined to comment further on the allegations.

A spokeswoman for the PCA said she could confirm that a complaint had been made on Bleach's behalf, and the authority was liaising with North Yorkshire police, but she could not comment any further.

Meanwhile, another of Bleach's supporters, Richard Stansfield, from Bulmer, near Malton, said he had spoken to him at the British High Commission in Calcutta after his release yesterday and he had seemed "wonderful".

He said: "He is drinking champagne."

Bleach, who looked cheerful but tired, told reporters: "I'm delighted to be a free man at last. My ordeal is over and this is a very emotional moment for me.

"I've no plans for the long run. I'm now looking forward to returning to the United Kingdom and seeing my family again.

"Nothing can replace the years I have lost. It has been a long struggle since 1995 and I feel vindicated that the government of India has finally taken the decision to free me."

Updated: 10:26 Thursday, February 05, 2004