THE case against a suspect arrested in Sussex hours after an alleged rape attack in Wellington town centre earlier this year has been dropped due to a lack of evidence.

A man, aged in his 20s, had been arrested overnight at an address in Sussex after a woman said she had been attacked in Monmouth Gardens, in North Street, at about 2.20 am on Friday, May 22.

The woman made her way to Wellington Police Station, in Victoria Street, to raise the alarm while her alleged attacker drove off in a white Volkswagen Golf car.

She said she had been punched by an unknown man who then raped her.

The woman was taken for treatment in Musgrove Park Hospital, in Taunton, and later released so she could continue to recover at home, with specialist police officers providing support for her.

An appeal was issued by police for any relevant CCTV footage from Waterloo Road, North Street, High Street, Fore Street, or Taunton Road, between 1 am and 2.30 am that morning.

It led to a man’s arrest and a car being seized for forensic examination.

The man was initially held in custody but then released on police bail while officers continued with their investigation.

Officers from the Avon and Somerset Constabulary’s Operation Bluestone were called in to work on the case.

Operation Bluestone is a specialist unit which investigates rape and serious sexual offences and was set up to help increase charge rates and to improve support and engagement with victims.

Now, the Avon and Somerset force has confirmed the Wellington case has been dropped because there was not enough evidence to take it further.

A spokesperson told the Wellington Weekly: “A man has been released with no further action, due to there being insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.”