Charges dropped against boy accused of killing surgeon

Anthony Owen, 68, was found by two members of the public lying next to his white Honda Civic near his home in Hale Village, Cheshire, last March.

Mr Owen, a cancer specialist who had worked as a consultant surgeon at several hospitals, including Wharfedale Hospital at Otley, near Leeds, had suffered serious head injuries and died in hospital six days later.

The Crown Prosecution Service said yesterday it had dropped manslaughter charges brought against a 17-year-old boy who was at the scene at the time of the incident.

The service said a new pathologist report had provided “supporting evidence” for the boy’s case that he was acting in self defence. Two other youths, aged 14 and 17 at the time, who were also at the scene were earlier released without charge owing to insufficient evidence, the CPS said.

Rachael Barber, a Senior Crown Prosecutor, said the youth had volunteered himself to police and has no previous convictions.

“We therefore concluded there is no realistic prospect of conviction in this case and have formally offered no evidence against the defendant,” she added.

“We understand that this decision is difficult for Mr Owen’s family, friends and members of the community to understand.

“We have met with Mr Owen’s family to explain our decision to them in person.”

Police were alerted at around 10.20pm on March 11, by a passing motorist who told detectives he saw three youths on bikes shortly before he found Mr Owen.

Mr Owen was taken to the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Liverpool where he later died.