FOUR police officers at the centre of the death of a former paratrooper are to quit the force, the soldier's Burnley sister revealed today.

Janet Alder, sister of decorated soldier Christopher Alder, said today the expected resignation of the four officers was a sign that police top brass were trying to distance themselves from blame for her brother's death.

The mum-of-two has campaigned for justice for her brother since he died in a Humberside police station six years ago.

Father-of-two, Christopher, 37, died face down with his trousers around his ankles after he was arrested for a breach of the peace outside a Hull nightclub.

An inquest concluded that he was unlawfully killed. Five police officers - Sergeant John Dunn, 40, and PCs Neil Blakey, 42; Mark Ellerington, 37; Nigel Dawson, 41, and Matthew Barr, 38 - were cleared of neglect of duty at an independent hearing following Christopher's death at Queen's Gardens police station, Hull, on April 1, 1998.

In the criminal trial that followed, all five officers were cleared of manslaughter and misconduct in a public office.

Janet said the Independent Police Complaints Commission had contacted Alder family solicitor Ruth Bundey to say four of the five police officers, who have been on sick leave since the trial collapsed in 2002, are now looking at early retirement due to illness.

The letter, seen by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, confirms the police authority will consider the move.

Janet said: "This is a disgrace. They are hoping to evade ever answering any questions and retiring with pensions."

" We will continue this fight and we demand the whole truth on what happened to Christopher."

Last month Christopher's son Leon Wilson went to the High Court to argue for a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death.

Mr Justice Munby ruled that a full High Court hearing to challenge Home Secretary David Blunkett's refusal to hold a public inquiry should be allowed to go ahead.