Northern Irish prosecutors drop charges in case that sparked anti-immigrant riots

Prosecutors in Northern Ireland withdrew charges on Friday against two teenage Romanian boys over an alleged sexual assault that sparked days of anti-immigrant riots in June, including attacks on police and the setting on fire of migrants' homes.

The street violence erupted after two then 14-year-old boys were arrested and later charged with the attempted rape of a teenage girl in Ballymena, 28 miles (45 km) from Belfast.

The two teenagers denied the charge. They will now be released from a juvenile detention centre where they have been held for more than five months.

"We have recently been made aware of significant evidential developments in this case," a spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland said in a statement.

"In light of this new evidence, it has been determined that the test for prosecution is no longer met on evidential grounds, and therefore the case should not proceed."

The prosecution team and police met the complainant and her family earlier on Friday to explain the reasons for the decision, the PPS said.

"The Police Service of Northern Ireland will follow up on all lines of enquiry as we seek to ensure justice," Detective Chief Inspector Stephanie Finlay said in a statement.