FORMER Henley police chief Ali Dizaei has lost an appeal against his conviction for misconduct and perverting the course of justice.

The Court of Appeal decided today that Dizaei, who was head of Henley police for five years from 1994, had framed Waad al-Baghdadi in a row over money.

The 50-year-old, a former commander in the Metropolitan Police, was convicted in 2010 and jailed for three years.

This was overturned after it emerged Baghdadi was a serial benefits fraudster.

Last February, Dizaei was again convicted of the offences after it was decided that he was lying when he claimed Baghdadi had threatened him and assaulted him outside a west London restaurant in July 2008.

His new appeal was based on evidence of Baghdadi’s violence, which was not allowed to go before the jury at the trial in February.

QC Stephen Riordan argued that the conviction was “unsafe” and that the judge had refused to allow “bad character” evidence relating to Baghdadi.

Published 14/02/13