A former detective who helped plan a police raid that led to the fatal shooting of James Ashley has been refused a bigger pension by a court.

Kevin French, acting chief inspector at the time, said he was "destroyed" when he was suspended after the shooting and suffered due to lack of support from Sussex Police.

But his claim for an enhanced police pension involving a lump sum was rejected by a High Court judge yesterday.

The ruling was welcomed by the family of James Ashley, 39, who was naked and unarmed when he was shot dead in a police raid on his flat in St Leonards in 1998.

His sister Pauline, speaking from the family home in Liverpool, said: "We're glad and very pleased.

"We haven't received a single penny from the death of my brother and it is not right those officers involved should get anything.

"It just doesn't make sense and I'm amazed how many times those officers involved keep putting in various things to get more money."

Yesterday's hearing was told how Mr French, who retired last year, played a "significant role" in organising the raid on Mr Ashley's flat.

Intelligence reports suggested Mr Ashley may have been armed but they were wrong.

High Court Judge Mr Justice Collins yesterday said the operation had gone "badly wrong" and had attracted a great deal of media criticism.

Mr French, who served 30 years in the force, claimed to have had insufficient training in organising a raid involving firearms.

He was later accused of misfeasance in public office but the charge was dropped when the case came up for trial three years ago.

The officer who pulled the trigger, PC Chris Sherwood, was charged with murder, but was later acquitted.

When Mr French, of Sandcroft Road, Eastbourne, retired he was given the mandatory police pension but he applied for an enhanced "injury on duty" award, which would have entitled him to an additional lump sum and increased regular payments.

He claimed the depression which had plagued him was largely triggered by his superiors' failure to provide support and back-up in the wake of his suspension.

His case was referred to an independent medical assessor who found his "permanent disablement" resulted from lack of support.

Lawyers for the Sussex Police Authority yesterday challenged that decision and Mr Justice Collins upheld their case.

The judge said Mr French could not be said to be disabled as a result of an injury received on duty since, for much of the relevant time, he was suspended and therefore "not on duty".

John Begg, barrister for Mr French, said: "He has been at the wrong end of five years of the legal process."

He said there was no dispute Mr French was afflicted by psychological illness "so serious that he is unable to appear today."

Mr French is one of four officers who helped co-ordinate the 1998 raid and who are now suing Sussex Police for £50,000 each for the way they were treated during their suspensions.

The others are PC Robert Shoesmith, Superintendent Chris Burton, Inspector Christopher Siggs and PC Stephen Crocker.