Two police officers accused of attempting to cover up an assault have had the case against them dropped.
Detective Constable Martin Coyle and Constable Darren Guild were suspended from their duties after being charged with perverting the course of justice following an assault in Strichen nearly two years ago.
The pair had been on trial at Peterhead Sheriff Court, but yesterday the case collapsed after the victim failed to turn up.
It had been claimed Mr Guild, 28, attacked and injured Peterhead man James-Andrew Milne on August 8, 2015.
Prosecutors had alleged the men had given investigating officers different shoes to the ones they had been wearing on the night, in an attempt to pervert the course of justice.
Mr Coyle, 29, was also accused of washing a shirt he had been wearing before handing it to investigating officers. Both men denied the charges.
The trial started in April, when Mr Milne began giving evidence, but was only part-heard.
It was deferred again earlier this month when he told court officers he was too ill to continue.
Sheriff Andrew Miller called for a further hearing to be held to allow Mr Milne to be reviewed by his doctor once more.
But the case was deserted at Peterhead Sheriff Court yesterday when defence agents argued their clients had been unable to continue with their lives while having the charges hang over them for two years.
Mr Coyle, whose address was given as care of his solicitor, George Mathers in Aberdeen, and Mr Guild, of West Road, Fraserburgh, were excused from appearing in Peterhead yesterday.
Advocate Joe Cahill, representing Mr Guild, said: “They are innocent of these charges and it is just a pity it has taken two years for this case to get to court. I’m quite confident had the judge heard all the evidence he would have exonerated them anyway.”
The Crown were also barred from bringing the charges forward against the officers again in the future.
Last night a police spokeswoman confirmed that Mr Coyle and Mr Guild remain suspended and are the subject of an internal police inquiry.
Mr Coyle declined to comment last night, and Mr Guild could not be contacted.
