Cop who shot driver not guilty of murder

Former Victorian policeman Timothy Baker has been acquitted of murdering a driver he shot three times during a traffic stop scuffle in Melbourne.

Former Melbourne cop Timothy Baker said he was defending himself when he fatally shot a driver and after a month-long murder trial, he is a free man.

Mr Baker, 46, was on Friday acquitted of murdering 44-year-old Vlado Micetic during a traffic stop at Windsor in August 2013.

Prosecutors claimed the former leading senior constable planted a knife at the roadside scene to cover up a "spur of the moment crime".

But after a trial that lasted more than four weeks, the jury took less than five hours to find Mr Baker not guilty.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said Mr Baker was charged in the same way as any member of the public, and like everyone else, he can apply to rejoin the force.