Shop attack case dropped by prosecutors
CHARGES against an Aylesbury man accused of attacking a shopkeeper in a vicious assault in Southcourt have been dropped.
Prosecutors have admitted that they have no evidence to link Luke Atley, of Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, with an attack on Salinder Singh Khera and his colleague Sunil Kumar.
The 26 year old was charged with grievous bodily harm, actual bodily harm, and possession of a blade.
But the Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed it will not be proceeding with the case.
District Crown Prosecutor Carolyn Oakley said: “The victims did not know their attacker and the key issue in the case was the identification of the assailant.
“Unfortunately, the CCTV was only of moderate quality and was not sufficiently clear to invite a jury to be sure that the defendant was the attacker.
“Identification procedures were carried out, but no positive identifications were made.
“In addition, police submitted several items for forensic analysis, but no links were found to Mr Atley.
“As with all cases, the CPS work closely with the police and the matter was kept under constant review.
“However, in light of these factors, it was decided that there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction and we had no alternative but to offer no evidence.”
The attack happened on November 26, and Mr Atley first appeared in court two days later.
Mr Khera said he was stunned when a knife-wielding man leapt over the counter, threatening to kill him.
He struggled with the man, and was saved when Mr Kumar leapt to his defence.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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