YORK police chief John Lacy has told of his family's "nightmare of a year" after his police constable daughter was cleared of attempted insurance fraud.

After the trial at Leeds Crown Court, Chief Superintendent Lacy, commander for York and Selby said: "I'd like to say on behalf of Vicky that it has brought to an end what has been a nightmare of a year, not only for Vicky's reputation, her career, her self-esteem, but also her family.

"We would like to pay tribute to her legal team and all the support she has had from family and friends, but more importantly the letters of support she has had from members of the public in Scarborough.

"There are proposals in Government to change the legal system we should never take away the right of a fair trial by jury."

His daughter Victoria, 24, smiled as the not guilty verdict was read out and said: "Thanks a lot." Outside the courtroom she hugged her barrister, David Bradshaw, and tearfully thanked him. Miss Lacy, a community constable for the Old Town area of Scarborough, had been accused of trying to obtain £154 by deception from Legal & General Insurance Ltd on July 19 last year by making a false claim that a set of golf clubs had been stolen in a burglary at her home in Churlew Drive, Scarborough and that a replacement set had been bought for that sum. The allegations centred on a letter she sent to her insurers with a receipt for a new mountain bike, which she had bought to replace one stolen in the burglary, and a receipt given to her by police colleague PC Andrew Standing for golf clubs he had bought for himself.

Her letter said she had bought the clubs at Snainton Golf Centre as replacements for those stolen and that PC Standing had paid on his credit card and she had reimbursed him.

When asked about the letter she had earlier told the court: "I've been naive, I have been stupid, I have been dizzy, but I have not been dishonest."

She insisted she had become "muddled" after her insurers at first said she could not claim for golf equipment and then said she could. She said they'd repeatedly telephoned her and she was just keen to get the money for her bike.

The court had been told that at the time Lacy had been serving as part of a riot squad during the unrest in Bradford and had also been trying to find time for a community policing project which she was in charge of.

Updated: 16:07 Wednesday, July 31, 2002