March public order charge dropped

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The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has decided to discontinue the prosecution of a man arrested during protests when British troops marched in Bedfordshire.

Nathan Draper, 18, was arrested during pro-troop and anti-troop demonstrations on 10 March as the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Anglian troops marched in Luton.

He originally faced a racially aggravated public order charge.

But the Bedfordshire CPS said it now believed there was "no longer a realistic prospect of conviction".

Case reviewed

The CPS said it had written to Mr Draper on 16 March advising him that the case had been discontinued in advance of his first appearance at Luton Magistrates' Court.

It said the CPS had a duty to keep cases under continuous review.

When a full file with CCTV footage was received and reviewed, it was decided there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction for the racially aggravated offence, or for a non-racially aggravated offence.

A second man, aged in his 40s, was issued with a fixed penalty notice during the protests.

The 2nd Battalion recruits from Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland.