Case discontinued after Broad Street assault
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said:
"Following a careful review of all the evidence, including video footage of the incident, we concluded there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the suspect for assaulting a police officer. We have therefore stopped proceedings and written to both the suspect and the complainant confirming this.
“We recognise assaults committed against emergency workers are abhorrent crimes, both against the victim and against society as a whole.”
Notes to editors
- The 20-year-old suspect was charged on 21 June 2026 with assaulting an emergency officer by West Midlands Police, who submitted the case evidence to the CPS on 7 July 2026. For this type of offence, police are authorised to charge without prior CPS approval.
- The video evidence undermined the suggestion that the suspect knew he was assaulting a police officer. Having been attacked moments before, prosecutors had no way of realistically proving that he was assaulting an emergency worker and had to discontinue the case based on this evidence.
- The CPS does not authorise all criminal charges in England and Wales. Under the Director's Guidance on Charging, police have authority to charge a range of offences without prior CPS approval. Assault on an emergency worker is one such offence. In those cases, the first point of CPS involvement is when the police submit a file of evidence after charge.
- Last year the CPS issued updated guidance to prosecutors on charging offences including assaults on emergency workers. This was to empower prosecutors to consider a broader range of charges while delivering swifter justice for cases involving emergency workers who are assaulted while carrying out their duty.