A MAN told detectives his police officer girlfriend had given him confidential information about an assault he was alleged to have committed, a York jury heard.

Paul Douglas, 30, claimed he never asked York-based officer Clare Woodall for the police incident log into an attack at the Gallery nightclub in the early hours of December 27, 2000.

In a statement he gave to detectives - and read to York Crown Court - he alleged that she told him she would look at a police computer.

He claimed she later handed him a copy of the police log of the incident. When questioned by the detectives, Woodall denied that she had looked at or handed over the police log.

The court heard that she was on leave and that computer checks on who was using which police terminal were not working at the time.

Douglas - formerly of Harrogate - and Woodall deny conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Woodall denies a charge of misconduct.

Det Chief Inspector Barry Honeysett, who headed the investigation into how Douglas got the log, alleged that police records showed that it was printed off the computer on or before December 29. Woodall's defence team dispute this. The jury saw telephone records showing calls from Woodall's York home phone to Douglas on December 27.

Det Ch Insp Honeysett said he was surprised to discover in the summer of 2001 that the computer checks were not working in December 2000. At the time, the police had just installed extra security checks on their computer system.

Earlier, DC Philip Thomas of Greater Manchester Police said Douglas was on a witness protection scheme because he was a witness in a Manchester murder case.

The trial continues.

Updated: 11:38 Thursday, March 21, 2002