Cop acquitted of sodomy

A New York City police officer accused of sodomising a drug suspect with a baton was acquitted yesterday after defence lawyers chipped away at the credibility of the accuser, a self-professed gang member who admitted smoking pot regularly.

Two colleagues were acquitted of a cover-up.

Michael Mineo, 25, has filed a US$440 million lawsuit against the city, claiming he was assaulted in a Brooklyn subway station on an October afternoon in 2008.

Mineo was hospitalised for days with a small non-penetrating wound, then returned for more medical care for an internal abscess.