A council leader has hit out at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after it decided not to charge a man he says threatened to cut his throat.

Medway's Cllr Alan Jarrett has described the organisation as "bureaucratic and painfully slow".

And the Tory says "it seems happy to let a potential murderer walk the streets with impunity".

Cllr Jarrett says his woes began after the Medway local elections in May last year.

He said: "I experienced a considerable number of dropped calls to my mobile and home number. On each occasion there was obviously someone there, but nothing was said.

"This culminated in a call to my landline filled with invective and threats.

"Such as 'why don’t you ***** kill yourself you *****, *****'.

"I’ll cut your ***** throat, you *****, *****.”

It wasn't the last Cllr Jarrett, who represents Lordswood and Capstone on the unitary authority, would hear from the man.

He added: "The following day while in London on a break for lunch, I received a call with two words –'you’re dead'."

He continued to received dropped calls and became nervous about answering.

"I reported this to the police, who promised to trace the calls, even though they were number withheld," he said.

"They also advised me about personal safety measures, including being aware of my surroundings.

"Within three days, I had a call saying they had the culprit in custody."

The man, whose identity is not known to the councillor, admitted making the calls but denied making threats to kill.

The police took statements and fitted a panic alarm in the politician's Lordswood home.

He added: "There then followed almost a year of dither and delay by the CPS, with the police providing more evidence on more than one occasion.

"In late March, the CPS decided to take no further action.

"I am appalled at a time of increased threats to elected politicians, the CPS seem unwilling to give the protection I as a public servant expect and deserve.

"Had I been an MP I cannot help but think the situation would have been taken much more seriously.

"I cannot praise the police enough. They acted swiftly and have kept me informed at various stages of the delays, and I do not believe they could have possibly done any more."

A CPS spokesman said: “When making a decision on whether to prosecute a case, prosecutors first need to consider whether there is enough evidence against a suspect.

“To do this, prior to making any charging decision, we work closely with the police and advise them about evidence requirements and possible reasonable lines of enquiry they need to make. As soon as we have the information we require from the police, we are then in a position to make a charging decision.

"Had I been an MP I cannot help but think the situation would have been taken much more seriously"

“In this case, it became clear once we obtained further information from the police and upon the application of the Code for Crown Prosecutors that there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction. This shows the importance of ensuring that prosecutors are fully informed before making their decision.

“Had there been sufficient evidence to proceed in this case, we would then have considered the public interest in prosecuting, as this is the second stage in our considerations. Had the case got this far, we would like to assure the complainant that our policies clearly state that a prosecution is more likely if an offence is committed against someone who was, at the time, serving the public.”

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