Police issue ‘final’ update on Epsom rape investigation that sparked furious protests | UK | News

Surrey Police announced on Monday evening they will close their investigation into a report of a rape outside a church in Epsom that led to widespread public disorder. The force received a report of rape in the English town in the early hours of April 11.

The report prompted a “thorough investigation, including an extensive examination of CCTV footage of the woman’s movements, house to house enquiries, interviewing witnesses and forensic tests”, the force said. On April 23, after police examined all the evidence, the force said to have concluded “that no sexual offence occurred on this occasion”. Surrey Police added they are closing the investigation.

Surrey Police’s statement, described as “final” by the force and issued on Thursday evening, added: “What has become clear is that a woman in her 20s during a night out in Epsom, sustained an accidental head injury prior to making a confused report.

“The woman involved has given us permission to share this information with you and she continues to be supported by relevant services.”

The force then spoke about the early stages of the probe. The statement read: “To be clear, we take every report of sexual offending seriously, and any such report is treated with sensitivity. To do this, it is imperative that the appropriate time is allowed to complete a thorough investigation and support is given to the complainant to progress enquiries at their own pace. This limits what information we are able to release publicly.

“At the early stages of this investigation, we issued an appeal for any witnesses or information that could help us progress our enquiries and identify any potential suspects. There was a lack of information in our initial appeal particularly regarding potential persons of interest. This was because the descriptions given were vague and limited. We recognise this caused concern amongst the community. We are now confident that there was no offence, and there were no suspects.

“Our local officers will maintain a visible presence in Epsom over the coming days so please speak to them if you have any concerns or questions.”

Two large protests happened in Epsom after the report of a rape emerged.

On April 15, footage posted on social media showed a large crowd of protesters congregating in the town centre.

Dozens of police officers could be seen wearing helmets and holding shields, with objects appearing to have been thrown at them.

On Monday, April 20, eggs and beer cans were reportedly thrown at officers during another demonstration.

Those actions were condemned as “shameful” by Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend.