Residents had been sent a letter saying the case had been dropped
Emergency services personnel at South Liberty Lane, Ashton Vale(Image: Kineta Hill)
Police chiefs in South Bristol have confirmed that a 21-year-old man whose arrest sparked a bomb scare and the evacuation of more than 200 people last month is still the subject of a criminal investigation. Police have clarified that inquiries are still ongoing after local residents in Ashton Vale were sent letters telling them that the Crown Prosecution Service had dropped the case against him.
There was confusion at a public meeting held on Friday (August 15) for residents of Ashton Vale affected by the events of July 22, when police officers told the meeting that the investigation against the man arrested was still ongoing.
One resident then produced a letter they had received from the police which appeared to suggest the opposite – the letter informed the resident that the CPS had withdrawn the proceedings because it was ‘not in the public interest’, and the case ‘was now concluded’. Around 200 residents of Ashton Vale were evacuated from their homes for more than seven hours into the middle of the night last month, after a huge emergency response following the arrest of a 21-year-old local man.
The letter from the police which was brought to the public meeting on Friday was dated July 28, and said: “The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have taken the decision to withdraw the proceedings as it is not in the public interest.
“This means the case is now concluded,” the letter said, adding that the arrested man is ‘no longer subject to any bail conditions that may previously have been imposed by the police or court in relation to this offence’.
The letter caused confusion at the meeting, and fury among residents in the local community Facebook group for Ashton Vale, but after inquiries by Bristol Live, Avon and Somerset police have now clarified the situation.
READ MORE: Scores of homes evacuated amid major explosion fears in Bristol streetREAD MORE: 21-year-old man arrested on suspicion of making an explosive in south Bristol
The 21-year-old man was arrested that evening on suspicion of two offences – one related to the suspected explosive device which sparked the bomb scare and the evacuation, and the second on suspicion of possession of cannabis. Although the letter to local residents didn’t explain this – it was referring to the charge of possessing cannabis, which went to court but was subsequently withdrawn by the CPS.
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset police said: “Criminal enquiries continue to be carried out into an incident at a property in South Liberty Lane on Tuesday 22 July.
The police cordon at Risdale Road during the emergency evacuation of residents (Image: BristolLive )
“A man, 21, was arrested on suspicion of making an explosive and was subsequently released on bail with conditions, including not to attend South Liberty Lane,” he added.
In relation to the case referred to in the letter, the spokesperson confirmed: “A man, in his early-20s, from south Bristol was charged on Thursday 24 July of being in possession of a class B drug (cannabis). This charge was later withdrawn at court.”
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