THE CPS will not prosecute allegations of sexual abuse at a Hampshire school, it was revealed today.
CPS East of England has decided there is “insufficient evidence” to bring charges related to abuse of pupils at Stanbridge Earls School in Hampshire.
It upholds a previous decision by CPS Wessex not to prosecute allegations against fellow pupils at the school near Romsey, which closed down last year.
The review considered the original allegation made by the parents of the pupil and separate claims from four other pupils against 10 individual students, as well as allegations of perverting the course of justice against two teachers.
Chief Crown Prosecutor Grace Ononiwu said: “The material supplied was considerable and has now been reviewed in its entirety and decisions have been made as to whether any of the 12 individuals who were the subject of the investigation should be prosecuted.
“The conclusion I have reached is that there should be no prosecutions arising out of the evidence which has been provided to us. This decision is not based on whether we believe the allegations made by the pupils but on whether there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to prosecute.”
She added: “I appreciate this decision may come as a disappointment to those who made the complaints which is why I have offered to meet them to explain my decision to them face to face.”
The decision brings Hampshire Police’s Operation Flamborough to an end after 6,000 hours of police time in the investigations.
But Assistant Chief Constable Laura Nicholson said officers would listen to any “new substantive allegations”.
She said: "Hampshire Constabulary committed more than 6,000 hours of police time to investigating these allegations. This resulted in us submitting 50 files of evidence to the CPS, which has enabled them to now form an independent view on these matters.
“Operation Flamborough is therefore now complete. If anyone has new substantive allegations, we would encourage them to contact us and we will investigate them separately.”
The investigation lasted eight months and included inquiries across 10 counties.
More than 1,200 documents were received and 20,000 pages reviewed while 79 witness statements were taken and 172 officer reports submitted.
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