PAYOUT FOR POLICEMAN WHO BLAMED HIS SNORING ON CANNABIS

WHEN DETECTIVE Inspector Brain Baker's wife complained that his
bedtime snoring was putting a strain on his marriage, the police
officer was ready with a novel explanation.

The inspector's rasping respiration was not caused by lying on his
back or even by an extra glass of red wine after a hard day at the
station. Det Insp Baker, 52, was convinced his snoring was due to
spending four days in a police storeroom where he inhaled dust from
seized cannabis plants.

Northumbria Police agreed to pay the detective several thousands of
pounds yesterday in an out-of-court settlement, after he sued the
force for failing to provide him with a mask or an extractor fan.

Det Insp Baker's statement of claim said he suffered "nasal congestion
and sniffing, together with a whistle of his nose, some diminution of
his sense of smell and a dry throat". The officer's condition has
caused "marital disharmony". The size of the settlement is unknown,
but he was seeking up to UKP 15,000 (UK pounds).

The case is the latest example of growing police compensation claims.
A policewoman recently won UKP 125,000 for the stress incurred working
undercover on the Rachel Nickell murder investigation.

Det Insp Baker said he suffered permanent damage to his nasal passages
after being assigned to investigate a series of thefts from the
storeroom at Clifford Street police station, Newcastle upon Tyne, in
1998. He claimed that the officers in charge of the stores had left
the room in a chaotic state, exposing him to "fumes and dust" from
skunk cannabis plants.

The inspector said the plants should have been dried out and kept in
sealed bags.

He claimed to have suffered "a septal perforation and rhinitis
together with associated throat problems due to mouth instead of nose
breathing".

To treat his problem he uses a syringe to administer doses of salt
water, which he describes as "most unpleasant."