Man accused of kidnap and bodily harm acquitted

Shane Cross was acquitted after the Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence when the main witness failed to appear in court

A man accused of kidnapping a woman and dragging her out of a car by her hair has been acquitted of all charges.

Shane Cross, 31, of Paradise Road, Dereham, Norfolk, was charged with kidnapping, actual bodily harm, criminal damage and burglary between 14 and 17 March.

Mr Cross, who has been remanded in custody since the alleged offences in March, denied all charges and his trial was due to begin at Norwich Crown Court on Monday.

The victim did not attend court and after legal discussions the Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence and Mr Cross was formally acquitted.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: "We have a duty to continually review all cases and following a change in the availability of key evidence at trial, we determined there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction and regrettably offered no evidence."