Bradford paratrooper Lee Clegg won a marathon battle to clear his name of murder - but a bid to join West Yorkshire Police has brought the past back to haunt him.

More than a decade has passed since two teenage joyriders were shot dead as they sped through a military checkpoint in Belfast.

Cpl Clegg, then 21, was one of the group of young Paratroopers manning the checkpoint in 1990. It led to him being jailed for life after being convicted of the murder of 18-year-old passenger Karen Reilly and wounding driver Martin Peake, 17, who also died.

In the subsequent ten years, three appeals were fought and won to clear his name - each one attracting noisy counter demonstrations outside the courts and headlines around the world.

Cpl Clegg, 32, now a physical training instructor based in Catterick, North Yorkshire, has only been promoted once in his Army career.

In January this year, he was formally cleared of the last conviction against him - that of wounding Martin Peake - and he believed he could finally put it all behind him by applying for a new career as a police officer in his home force of West Yorkshire.

He had passed assessments, physical tests and a medical, he was fitted with a police uniform and handed terms of employment. He believes his Army reference and reports were good.

But the offer of a new job was dropped after the West Yorkshire Police took legal advice.

And he describes the force's refusal to employ him as another "kick in the teeth".

"I just want to start off fresh, start a new job, start a new life," he said.

"I thought I'd be able to carry on, but it's clear now that people won't let me. I got to the final stage and was waiting for a starting date. Then I received a letter from the recruitment team and the Assistant Chief Constable stating judgements from my retrial and criticisms made by the judge about my conduct.

"I have been cleared of every crime. It was a tragic incident, but now after that long struggle and that long fight to clear my name, I have proved my innocence. I thought that in a democratic society, if you are proved innocent in a court of law, you are allowed to get on.

"I truly thought the door was open and it slammed in my face."

A police job had been a childhood ambition, but he felt he had lacked the maturity to enter the force at 17.

He said: "I was always interested in the Army as well, so I decided to go into the Army and travel. Unfortunately, I was involved in the incident, which stopped me seeing a lot of things, but on the other hand, this made me a more wise and mature person. I decided that this was the right time to apply, especially as the police were so undermanned in West Yorkshire."

Cpl Clegg's case was one of the most politically emotive in Northern Ireland during the 1990s and supporters mounted a vigorous campaign on his behalf. Determined to make a stand against West Yorkshire Police, he is gathering support again.

Cpl Clegg said: "I don't want to be a trouble-maker, I just want to be given a chance. I was prepared to take a cut in income to join the police and if they offered me employment next week, I would go in with open arms. I should have got that job because I have passed the criteria which every other police officer did when they were appointed.

"I thought I could put the past behind me and give something back to the community of Yorkshire that had so strongly supported me in the past. Because I had no convictions and I was acquitted of all charges, I thought I would be treated like anybody else. If my application is rejected now, it will be the same with other employment."

He has already enlisted the support of Bradford West MP Gerry Sutcliffe, who has written to Home Secretary David Blunkett and is now demanding a face-to-face meeting between West Yorkshire Police and Cpl Clegg.

The Labour MP said: "Suddenly the decision was made not to employ Cpl Clegg, which we subsequently found out was because of a police review on the judge's report. He is serving in the Army, instructing people and can fight for his country, but he's not allowed to serve the community of West Yorkshire. That's not right.

"I think they've made the wrong decision. My view is that they should sit down and talk to him and resolve the situation."

Despite the ten-year battle to clear his name, Cpl Clegg said the Army had been fully supportive and that he was now happy.

He added: "I'm fortunate - I've got a loving supportive family. But anybody cleared in a court of law deserves a new start. I wouldn't mind what job the police gave me. If they appoint me as an officer in the roughest area in West Yorkshire, that's fine. I want to be able to make a little bit of difference."

West Yorkshire Police has said that it has made it clear to Cpl Clegg the reasons for not appointing him as a constable.

"That decision was taken after detailed consideration of the many issues surrounding his case, and on the receipt of legal advice," said a spokesman.