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Police raid on Redknapp house 'unlawful'

02/05/2008

Lawyers have told a London high court today that police officers who raided the home of Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp acted 'unlawfully' and tipped off the press beforehand.

Mr Redknapp and his wife Sandra are seeking a judicial review into the dawn raid at their home in Poole, Dorset, last November.

The Pompey boss, was has always denied any wrongdoing, was arrested on the day of the raid after arriving back in the UK by police investigating football corruption.

His lawyers claim he voluntarily attended Chichester police station where he was arrested and detained for seven hours.

Alun Jones told the court today that the raid on the manger's home was captured by press photographers, as was Redknapp's departure from Chichester police station after being released bailed.

"It is our case that they [the media] had been deliberately informed about this by the police," Mr Jones told the court.

Mr Jones claimed that the police should never have been issued the warrant to search Redknapp's house due to the nature of the material they were looking for.

The Portsmouth manager expressed his "bitter disappointment" at the way his home had been raided during a press conference after the event.

He claimed the computer seized by police was a present to his wife Sandra who "had only just learnt how to switch it on".

Nine people have been arrested and released on bail as part the City of London police investigation into corruption in professional football.