No charges a year after alleged hate crime

Cumbria Police said the investigation into an alleged hate crime against a black student was "complex"

No charges have been brought a year after the circulation of an online video showing an alleged racist hate crime against a child.

In March 2024, a video was released which appeared to show a black teenage boy in Carlisle being pushed and punched by a white boy, before being made to kiss his shoes.

Four boys were arrested and released on bail. Cumbria Police said it had pursued multiple lines of enquiry to establish if the alleged assault was motivated by "racial hostility".

The charity Anti Racist Cumbria said there should be a system in place to deal with such cases more quickly and "more effectively".

The Cumbria force said even though the footage appeared to show a "straightforward case", the investigation was "complex".

The video was recorded on 15 March in the Upperby area and involved at least one child from St John Henry Newman Catholic School.

A police spokesperson said the force first submitted a case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to consider potential charges in November.

Following further questions from the CPS, the force refiled its case in January.

"We remain in close consultation with the CPS and will assist them with any information required while we await their formal decision," a spokesperson said.

Niall McNulty at Anti Racist Cumbria said 12 months was a "long time" for the family of the victim to wait for some form of outcome.