THE jury considering the case of a senior police officer accused of attempting to obtain property by deception has been discharged.

Detective Chief Inspector John Ruddy was arrested after two cleaners said they saw him clutching a can of polish on the staircase of Openshaw police station where he later claimed to have slipped and injured his back.

Ruddy claimed he had slipped on polish left on the staircase and spent two weeks off work with an injured back.

He launched a civil lawsuit for damages of £80,000, but the action was suspended in the High Court when the cleaners made statements to the police.

Ruddy, aged 57, now of Plover Road, Watton in Norfolk, appeared at Bolton Crown Court to stand trial. He denied attempting to obtain property by deception.

The jury was discharged following legal argument.

The case will now start again in front of a new jury at a date to be decided.