Suicide rape accused is cleared

Sara Clark fell to her death days after telling police she was attacked

A man accused of raping a woman who fell to her death just days after she told police she was attacked has had all charges against him dropped.

Sara Clark, 18, of Totton, Hampshire, was found dead under a bridge on the M27 near Southampton on 2 June.

She told police on 30 May that she had suffered a serious sexual assault near her home in Calmore.

Jagat Mawari, 30, of Calmore, was charged with rape but was cleared at Bournemouth Crown court.

An inquest into Ms Clark's death in December recorded an open verdict.

There were very difficult decisions bearing in mind the sad death in the matter of Sara Clark Kerry Maylin Prosecution

Her parents said they felt their daughter had killed herself because officers had not believed her and had not taken the allegations of assault seriously.

The case was referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

Kerry Maylin, for the prosecution, told Bournemouth Crown Court that discontinuance notices had been served on Mr Mawari.

"There were very difficult decisions bearing in mind the sad death in the matter of Sara Clark," she told the court.

"The decision has been made that Sara Clark's evidence by way of her video interview, whilst permissible under the statute, would not, we feel, be allowed to be played to the jury - bearing in mind the background of Sara Clark and her very troubled circumstances."

'Troubled life'

Judge John Jarvis told Mr Mawari through a Hindi translator: "The case against you has been discontinued. You are no longer subject to any bail conditions. You are a free man. You can leave the dock."

The inquest into her death, at Southampton Coroner's Court, heard Sara fell from the bridge and lay dying in the carriageway.

She was suffering severe head injuries when a car hit her.

A post-mortem examination found that she was three times over the drink-drive limit when she fell and her GP said she had been treated for depression in the past.

The inquest heard Sara was "troubled in her personal life".

Det Con Paul Travers, of Hampshire Constabulary, who was investigating the complaint, told the inquest that Ms Clark's allegations had taken the "normal course of events" and that the investigation was in its early stages when she died.