A POLICE officer who sold pirate CDs and DVDs to fellow officers has been sacked.

But PC James Moodie's wife Jane, also a police officer, has kept her job after she was cleared of trying to cover up for her husband.

The Burnley couple had been under investigation by Lancashire Constabulary's professional standards department for more than two years.

They appear in court earlier this year, when Moodie pleaded guilty to distributing 16 counterfeit CDs or DVDs.

PC Jane Moodie, 37, was cleared of attempting to pervert the course of justice after the prosecution offered no evidence.

At police misconduct hearing last week, Moodie was told he must resign. But his wife's suspension was lifted after misconduct proceedings against her were dropped.

James Moodie, 44, had initially been accused of making counterfeit discs, but those charges were dropped.

He was fined and ordered to pay costs totalling £1,750 for distributing the discs.

A court had earlier heard that Moodie had been suspended on his basic pay of £32,000 since his arrest on April 30, 2004.

Moodie, who worked in the communications unit at Burnley police station, sold the items to colleagues for between £3 and £5, the court was told.

Simon Christie, prosecuting, told the court that the prosecution had accepted Moodie's pleas because there were difficulties in establishing precisely which discs he had allegedly created.

In April 2004, four police officers' homes in Burnley and Rawtenstall were raided as the investigation began into the counterfeiting allegations.

A police spokesman confirmed: "James Moodie has been required to resign from the force following a misconduct hearing.

"Jane Moodie has been reinstated and had her suspension lifted after the decision was made not to go ahead with misconduct proceedings."