No theft charge for top officer

A senior police officer has learned she will not face prosecution after being arrested on suspicion of shoplifting.

Ch Insp Sharon Rowe had been accused in September of stealing wine from a Marks and Spencer store in Shoreham, West Sussex, with Det Ch Insp Jim Torbet.

Mr Torbet was found dead at his home in Peacehaven, East Sussex, in "non-suspicious" circumstances last month.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has now announced it is not in the public interest to prosecute Ms Rowe.

Ms Rowe, 44, remains suspended from her job as Worthing district commander.

Daughter murdered

She became the first woman to reach the rank of inspector in Brighton and Hove in 1998 after joining the police service in 1986.

Sussex Police said in view of the decision from the CPS it was considering initiating misconduct proceedings against her.

The death of Mr Torbet, 54, came five years after his 19-year-old daughter, Rae Torbet, was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend, forklift truck driver Dellwyn James, at her flat in Bexhill.

Mr Torbet had been with the Sussex force for 28 years, holding a number of senior positions.