Jean Charles de Menezes killing: It's Police Vs IPCC

times: A clerk at the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was suspended last night for allegedly leaking secret documents about the Stockwell Underground shooting of an innocent man to a television station.

The suspension will come as a severe blow to the credibility of the commission, which is handling its first big inquiry since it was opened 18 months ago to replace investigations by police themselves.

The clerk, who could face serious charges, is alleged to have links with ITV news staff.

On Wednesday Sir Ian Blair, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, privately asked Nick Hardwick, head of the IPCC, to call in an outside police force to investigate the leaking of papers which revealed a series of "catastrophic blunders" over the death of Jean Charles de Menezes.

Sir Ian yesterday rejected demands for him to resign. He said: "I'm not going to resign - I have a job to do."

The suspension comes amid a growing dispute between the IPCC and Sir Ian, who is understood to want a "Hutton style" judicial inquiry into the case, like that conducted into the death of Dr David Kelly, the government scientist. Read more

db: "Hutton style" is white and goes on nicely with a roller