Utterly despicable, the bent cop meant to change (7,8)

I believe the answer is:

beneath contempt

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'utterly despicable' is the definition.
'beneath contempt' can be an answer for 'despicable' (I've seen this in another clue). I'm not certain of the 'utterly' bit.

'the bent cop meant to change' is the wordplay.
'to change' indicates anagramming the letters.
'the'+'bent'+'cop'+'meant'='thebentcopmeant'
'thebentcopmeant' is an anagram of 'BENEATH CONTEMPT'.

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I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.

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