A THUG who stabbed an undercover police officer after accusing him of looking at his girlfriend has been jailed for 12 years.

Andrew Beadie, of Claremont Road, Basildon, was found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent after stabbing the officer in an alleyway near the Bow Bells Public House in Bow Road, East London, on November 22.

The 20-year-old was with his partner - a 34-year-old woman - and her two 16-year-old twin sons when they took a short trip from Devons Road to Bow Church using the DLR.

Just before 9pm, Beadie accosted a man in Bow Road and punched him to the ground. The incident was captured on CCTV but the victim has never been found.

About 20 minutes later, Beadie and the others entered an alleyway next to the Bow Bells pub where he started speaking to a plain clothes officer attached to the Met’s Specialist Crime and Operations squad.

Having accused the officer of looking at his girlfriend, Beadie produced a large knife and repeatedly stabbed him in the abdomem.

The officer suffered three stab wounds and colleagues administered first aid until paramedics arrived and took him to hospital.

When Beadie was arrested a week later his mobile phone was seized. On it was an image of a knife taken two days after the stabbing. Detectives believe this was the same weapon used to attack the officer, but the knife has never been recovered.

He was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment with a further two years on extended license at the Old Bailey on Friday.

Janine Morris, 24, of Rainhill Way, Bow was also charged with attempted murder, two counts of affray and assisting an offender but the case was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service. No further action was taken against a 17-year-old male youth and two 16 year-old boys arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.