A man’s sexual assault charge has been dropped because the complainant struggled with the court process – before withdrawing support for the prosecution.
19-year-old Jack Twelves was due to stand trial accused of touching a young autistic woman in 2022, but the case has been discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
At a previous hearing, prosecutor Kirsty Gordon told Swindon Magistrates’ Court that the complainant in the case was “struggling to communicate with staff”.
She added that the woman’s “mental health is deteriorating” which is “exacerbated by the prospect of having to give evidence”.
A trial before District Judge Dickens was due to start on Friday (20 October), but the prosecutor dropped the charge due to a loss of support for the prosecution by the alleged victim.
A CPS note on file read: “The reason for my decision is that there is not enough evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction, as the Complainant no longer supports the prosecution.”
The defendant, of Chantry Gardens, Trowbridge, left court an innocent man.
