A policeman investigating a horse doping and race-fixing scandal spoke today of his anger on hearing a claim that he was corrupt and open to bribery.
Detective Sergeant Richard Wall, of Scotland Yard's Organised Crime Group, told the Old Bailey: "I was extremely angry to think that anyone could possibly suggest I would be party to such a corrupt thing."
He was giving evidence against private detective Robert Harrington, 58, who denies trying to get £500 from leading jockey Jamie Osborne, and denies corruption in trying to persuade Osborne that he could bribe a police officer with £2,000.
The events happened at a time when Osborne was involved in a race-fixing investigation - over which he was cleared.
Harrington, a former detective with Thames Valley Police, is alleged to have tried to make money from Osborne by telling the jockey, when he realised that police had no evidence against him, that he could influence the inquiry.
Osborne, 32, immediately went to other officers and told them what Harrington had said.
Det Sgt Wall said he became suspicious after Harrington - who had volunteered to get inside information on the scandal - told him he had played a tape recording of their conversation to Mr Osborne.
He said he was "horrified" and reported the matter to senior detectives - and was told about the claims Harrington was making about him.
The court has been told that police made secret recordings and videos with the co-operation of Det Sgt Wall and Osborne in order to arrest Harrington in 1998.
Mr Osborne, who has since become a trainer, has told the court that he was never involved in any wrongdoing and was "shocked" at the suggestion that a policeman should be bribed in order to clear his name.
DS Wall, who has since retired and is a racing intelligence officer with the Jockey Club, said he had talked to Harrington about jockeys getting "big time dosh" for pulling races because it was one of the lines of inquiry he was looking into at the time.
The hearing was adjourned until tomorrow.
