A spiritualist who claimed he was fired as a police trainer because of his beliefs today lost an industrial tribunal, Greater Manchester Police said.

Alan Power, 62, was fired on 24 October 2008 - just three weeks after landing a job with GMP as a law trainer.

Though the force wrote to him citing his 'current work in the psychic field' as reason for dismissal, a tribunal in Manchester today ruled against Mr Power - referred to in the hearing as a 'ghostbuster'.

Tonight, the force welcomed the decision that they did not discriminate against him on religious grounds - as Mr Power claimed.

Assistant Chief Officer Julia Rogers said: 'GMP notes and fully supports the judge's ruling.

'This matter has never been about Mr Power's beliefs and we vehemently deny any claim he was discriminated against on those or any other grounds.

'GMP welcomes all races and religions and employs and actively recruits people with diverse beliefs and from many different ethnic backgrounds.

It was alleged during one voluntary session as a trainer at Bruche police training college in about 2004 he became sexually aroused.

He was playing the part of a shoplifter being frisked when he got visibly excited, it was said.

He denied the allegation.

GMP's barrister, Spencer Keen, also said Mr Power used his connections with student officers in a bid to see them out of work - which the claimant denied.

And it was also claimed Mr Power, who said he has seen ghosts since childhood, distributed inappropriate research materials to Merseyside officers featuring the World Trade Centre attacks.