POLICE who investigated the disappearance of a teenager whose body was left undiscovered in a mill lake for ten days could face criminal charges.

A report into the way officers handled the disappearance of Accrington teenager Sajjad Mahmood is to be passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Today, the Police Complaints Authority, which ordered an investigation into complaints by Sajjad's family, said the file would be handed over "within the next few days" so a decision could be taken on whether criminal charges should be pursued.

Sajjad, 18, of Royds Street, died when he was beaten up by three drug dealers and thrown into Haggs Lodge near to Asda's Accrington store in Hyndburn Road in April, 1998.

In May 1999, James Butler, 20, of Persia Street, Accrington, was jailed after pleading guilty to manslaughter while his accomplices, Karl Barton, 21, of Manor Gardens, Accrington, and Wayne Kelly, 22, of Pearl Street, Accrington, were both found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent.

The trio admitted drugs offences at the trial at Preston Crown Court. Butler was sent to prison for 10 years and his accomplices received six years.

A post mortem examination revealed that Sajjad had been badly beaten before he was killed but failed to discover the exact cause of death.

Sajjad's mother has said the failure by police to fully investigate her son's disappearance cost vital evidence in the case.

Mrs Mahmood, claims to have searched the lodge herself before police eventually took up the case -- 10 days after Sajjad was first reported missing.

Staff at Asda also contacted the police to say Mrs Mahmood was sitting at the side of the lodge in a distressed state.

Frogmen discovered Sajjad's battered body in the lodge.

The PCA will liaise with Lancashire Police to see what, if any, disciplinary action needs to be taken. But the CPS has the power to bring criminal charges, including dereliction of duty.

A spokesman for the PCA, based in London, said: "One of our members has been studying the report complied for us and is currently coming to a decision.

"We shall make a statement to say a decision has been reached, when it is reached, but we will not say what that decision is until the Crown Prosecution Service has reviewed the report as well to see if any action will be taken by them."

The report, compiled by Greater Manchester Police and presented to the PCA last September, contains interviews with all the officers involved in the case.

Following their conviction, Mrs Mahmood told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph the excellent work of Accrington CID had been hampered by the police's failure to find her son's body sooner.

She said:"It is because of the misconduct of the police that they didn't have all the evidence they could have had. "My son was lying in that lake for so long that there was no evidence of exactly how he died."

An internal investigation launched by Lancashire Police resulted in the way reports of missing persons are handled being changed.

The PCA cannot say what, if any charges, the CPS will pursue.

A spokesman added: "That is for the CPS to decide based on the report we will present to them."

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: "We cannot comment on the PCA's report until they have contacted us."