It has to be said that I have always respected and often admired the police.

I have several very close friends who served in the force for many years. I even contemplated trying to join the police before I took up my flying career.

However my treatment by Lothian and Borders police officers in my home and within a small Edinburgh station seven years ago soured my attitude towards the police and that nasty experience has been reinforced in recent weeks when an internal investigation into the sectarian questioning I was subjected to was exposed as a farce and sham by my lawyer Gordon Dangerfield.

Before being questioned by two male officers in a tiny interview room in Gayfield police station in February 2008 I was instructed by my senior QC to remain silent and confirm only my name and date of birth.

It was my legal right to remain silent and I had never been questioned by police officers before so I decided to follow the legal advice I was given.

I was searched and had my jewellery and bag removed. I asked if I could hold on to my rosary beads. The officer who conducted the search of me said 'of course'. Yet after more than two hours of being questioned the officers decided to take them off me.

They told me they were removing my "beads" then proceeded to question me for a further four hours during which time they suggested I had been trained in "PIRA/IRA terrorist techniques" and that I was more interested in my "beads" than I was in their questions. I felt bullied, intimidated and frightened.

These men were part of a team who had spent a day searching my house and turning out the tiny pockets of my two-year-old daughter's anorak and making disparaging remarks about my pictures of the Pope on my wall.

Now they were effectively accusing me of being a trained IRA terrorist for remaining silent and clutching my rosary beads. I complained about my treatment and it was ignored for nearly three years. Then I was given a response by the internal police body that is supposed to investigate unprofessional conduct by police officers. Many people believe the police should not be allowed to investigate themselves. I now agree.

After three years and an apparently thorough investigation the body cleared the senior officers of misconduct on the basis that their religious questioning of me was justified because I had chosen to affirm instead of swearing an oath to God during my evidence at Tommy's libel trial in 2006.

The officers' statements were to the effect that I was lying because I thought it was okay to do so because I had affirmed. They told the internal investigation that their line of questioning was entirely justified as my affirmation indicated my religious beliefs were somehow undermined.

But you see there was just one big massive problem for them and that was in fact I didn't affirm. I swore an oath to God.

The internal investigation was a sham. The investigating officer had the tapes of my testimony. Why didn't that officer take the time during this 'thorough' investigation to listen to them properly?

The senior officers who subjected me to a religiously motivated grilling have been cleared on the basis of misinformation. They said I affirmed. I didn't.

The whole thing stinks and highlights serious problems when the police are allowed to investigate themselves over misconduct complaints.

Fortunately for me I have my Rottweiler of a lawyer Gordon Dangerfield on to it.

Today I am disappointed that I have been let down by a so-called 'thorough' police investigation and concerned that bad apples like the officers who bullied me in a sectarian fashion are able to get away with their deplorable behaviour.