For that reason there never seemed to be any likelihood of a prosecution being brought.
"On that basis therefore, and in absence of any other corroboration, there is no imminent prospect of a prosecution being mounted.
Kirill has not spoken against the prosecution being carried out in the name of the church even though a conviction could harm its reputation more than any exhibition could ever do.
In an impromptu news conference on the courthouse steps, Mr. Smith said he expected the case against Ms. Lane to be completely dismissed, "with the arrest and prosecution being a nullity as if they never existed".
Supt Sean Memory spoke on Monday about claims made by a former senior officer in Wiltshire that the threat of Heath being named in connection with child sexual abuse led to a prosecution being dropped against another man.
He pointed out that the ministry referred to Khodorkovksy and Lebedev's prosecution being related to tax evasion, which was in fact a charge in their first trial, which concluded in 2005.
