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TRIAL AND ERROR

Blundering CPS chief Alison Saunders quits after seeing millions spent on botched probes

Saunders leaves her £250,000-a-year role with a £1.8million pension - and is joining a private law firm

CHIEF prosecutor Alison Saunders is stepping down after a string of rape case blunders.

She has also overseen several disastrous CPS investigations that have cost taxpayers millions.

 Allison Saunders is leaving the Crown Prosecution Service at the end of her initial five-year contract
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Allison Saunders is leaving the Crown Prosecution Service at the end of her initial five-year contractCredit: PA:Press Association
 Liam Allan had rape charges against him dropped after police sat on vital evidence
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Liam Allan had rape charges against him dropped after police sat on vital evidenceCredit: Ben Gurr - The Times

Pressure grew this year after a rape case against student Liam Allan, 22, was thrown out when it emerged police sat on 40,000 texts from his accuser.

Every ongoing rape case is under review after three other trials collapsed in two months.

In 2016, Mrs Saunders faced calls to quit after the £30million public payments probe Operation Elveden failed to convict a single journalist.

The handling of the child sex abuse probe Operation Yewtree was also slammed after stars including Jim Davidson, Freddie Starr and Jimmy Tarbuck were cleared after extensive investigations.

 Comedian Jim Davidson was cleared of sex abuse allegations during Operation Yewtree
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Comedian Jim Davidson was cleared of sex abuse allegations during Operation YewtreeCredit: Getty - Contributor

Mrs Saunders, 57, also backtracked over the prosecution of former Labour MP Lord Janner on child sex abuse charges due to his health, despite finding sufficient evidence to charge him.

A Whitehall source told the Daily Telegraph that her five-year tenure as Director of Public ­Prosecutions “has been highly contentious, to say the least”.

Mrs Saunders, who leaves her £250,000-a-year role with a £1.8million pension, will join law firm Linklaters in the autumn.

A spokesman for the Attorney General said: “The DPP was appointed for a five-year term which ends in October 2018. The DPP did not ask for an extension to her contract.”

Comedian Jim Davidson opens up about being arrested as part of Operation Yewtree on Piers Morgan's Life Stories


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