PETER Bleach - who was jailed in India after being convicted of an illegal arms deal - told today how he had previously helped foil a plot to supply weapons to the IRA.

The former arms dealer has produced a copy of a letter of thanks he received in 1988 from the then Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) of Essex Police for his role in an undercover operation mounted by the News Of The World, in which he posed as a buyer to acquire an Uzi semi-automatic and 19 Kalashnikov rifles.

The DCC, Peter Simpson, said the sting had led to the jailing of a gun supplier for ten years, adding: "I fully appreciate the dangers in which you placed yourself, as I understand that at one stage, the suspect produced a loaded revolver in your presence... I thank you for the part you played throughout this whole investigation."

Mr Bleach, 54, who now lives near Pickering, claimed he was trying to assist in a similar sting operation with the British and Indian authorities when he got involved in an illegal arms drop in West Bengal, in 1996, but on that occasion he ended up in jail for eight years.

The Evening Press revealed yesterday he had obtained legal aid to sue North Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Della Cannings and Home Secretary Charles Clarke over evidence presented by the force at his trial in Calcutta, which he claimed was inaccurate. The force said it was waiting to hear from him.

Mr Bleach said he had alerted the British authorities as soon as he realised a proposed deal to buy arms was "hooky", and then spoke to North Yorkshire Police three times before going ahead with the operation.

Today he supplied a copy of a letter he sent to the Defence Export Services Organisation, a division of the Ministry of Defence, in August 1995, after he had first been approached to supply the guns, in which he said he had become aware the "end-users" appeared to be an Indian insurgent group.

He said he had three options. "Firstly, I could simply tell the buyers that I cannot help them. If I do this, then I am not involved in any illegal activity, and I can get on with life."

But if he did this, they would simply go elsewhere. A second option -"not a serious suggestion" - would be to supply the goods, but to give the name of a Ukrainian freight company who would land anywhere for money.

The third option was for the Indians to be advised of the situation, and the deal be allowed to run, with the Indian air force dealing with the insurgents when the delivery took place. He wrote: "Advice is urgently required."

He claimed he then pressed ahead with the third option with the backing of the British authorities, although police have insisted they clearly instructed him not to get involved.

Updated: 10:06 Tuesday, January 17, 2006