The Chief Constable of Sussex was today apologising in person to the family of an unarmed man shot dead in bed by police.

Ken Jones was meeting James Ashley's family in private in their home city of Liverpool almost six years after his death in a botched drugs raid.

Mr Ashley, of Western Road, St Leonards, was in bed with his teenage girlfriend when armed officers burst into his flat at 4am in January 1998 and opened fire.

Intelligence reports suggested father-of-two Mr Ashley, 39, might have been armed but it emerged the information was wrong.

Mr Ashley's family today welcomed the apology but criticised the time it has taken.

His brother Tony said: "We welcome an apology. Hopefully people will not be so judgmental in the future."

PC Chris Sherwood was cleared of unlawful killing at the Old Bailey in May 2001 after a judge said there was no evidence for a conviction.

He always maintained he had fired believing Mr Ashley was coming at him with a gun.

Superintendent Chris Burton and Inspectors Kevin French and Christopher Siggs were later cleared of misconduct in a Wolverhampton Crown Court trial. But then chief constable Paul Whitehouse was forced to retire early following public criticism from Home Secretary David Blunkett.

Former deputy chief constable Mark Jordan, who faced disciplinary charges, was retired on medical grounds on a full pension.

Mr Ashley's family has since been pressing for a public inquiry.

However, they received a further blow when they learnt two police officers involved in planning the raid had been promoted.

Mr French and Mr Siggs were made chief inspectors in June 2001, despite the force receiving criticism from the trial judge.

In February last year, Louise Ellman, Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, said the criminal justice system had failed Mr Ashley's family.

She claimed the case exposed a "culture of secrecy and cover-up" by the police and today called for the complaints procedure to be reviewed, adding: "The former Chief Constable behaved outrageously in denouncing James Ashley's character at a press conference shortly after the death.

"Congratulations are due to the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, for his intervention and to Mr Ashley's family for their perseverance."