Teenage boy charged with murder
A teenager from the Blaenau Gwent area has been charged with murder following the body of a female being found in the Dyffryn Park area of Blaina.
Jenny Hopkins, of the CPS, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised Gwent Police to charge a 14-year-old boy with the offence of murder.
“The defendant cannot be named for legal reasons.
“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against this person are now active and that they have a right to a fair trial.
“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
Following the boy being charged and remanded into police custody to appear before Newport Magistrates’ Court, Detective Chief Inspector Steven Thomas said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Lilly at this difficult time.
“We understand that there has been a great deal of interest in this ongoing investigation.
“It is vital that people consider how their language, especially comments made online, could affect our ability to bring anyone found to have committed a criminal offence to justice.
“Even though we’ve reached this significant development in our investigation, our enquiries continue and you will still see a significant police presence in the area.
“Examinations of scenes will be continuing over the coming days, including at Duffryn Park, where cordons remain in place.
“I would like to thank local residents for their continued support and those impacted by the cordons for their patience during this time.”
Notes to editors
- Jenny Hopkins is the Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Wales.
- The review of the evidence was carried out in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
- Any decision by the CPS does not imply any finding concerning guilt or criminal conduct; the CPS makes decisions only according to the test set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors and it is applied in all decisions on whether or not to prosecute.
- It is not the function of the CPS to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the criminal court to consider.
- The CPS assessment of any case is not in any sense a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, which can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of what it might be possible to prove to a court, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
- This assessment is based on the evidence available arising out of the police investigation and not on the evidence that is likely to be gathered by the defence, and likely to be used to test the prosecution evidence. The CPS charging decision is therefore necessarily an assessment on the basis of the evidence that is available to the CPS at the time the decision is made.
- CPS prosecutors must also keep every case under review, so that they take account of any change in circumstances that occurs as the case develops, including what becomes known of the defence case. If appropriate, the CPS may change the charges or stop a case.