A RISHTON man has told of his relief after serious criminal charges against him were dropped for the second time in two years.
Darren Disson,46, spent five months in custody and two months bailed to live in London before the allegations against him were suddenly dropped at Preston Crown Court last week.
And he said he hoped this time he could rebuild his life without fear of being plucked from the street and "banged up".
"After the last time I was just getting things back together when I found myself arrested at gunpoint for something I knew nothing about," said Mr Disson, of Burton Street.
"Worse still, I spent five months in prison and that is a big chunk of anyone's life."
On 16 December Mr Disson and two other men, David Wilson, 42, of Redlam, and Dean Farrell, 19, of St George's Avenue, both Blackburn, were arrested by armed police on Ewood car park.
All three were charged with conspiracy to burgle a house in Kingsley Close in relation to an alleged £100,000 drug debt. The charge was later amended to conspiracy to blackmail but last Friday the charges were dropped after the prosecution offered no evidence.
Mr Wilson only spent a week in custody but said it was important that people should know the charges had been dropped.
"Mud sticks and when we were first charged and it went in the paper there was a lot of talk," said Mr Wilson.
"It wasn't nice for my family. I'm not Snow White but I haven't been in trouble for a long time and this was ridiculous. The police have a job to do but it has never been clear over the last seven months exactly what they were saying we had done."
Mr Disson was charged with other offences early in 2006 and spent nine months on bail, much of it living in a Birmingham bail hostel, before those charges were also dropped.
Prior to being charged he had been living with his partner, working full-time and had his own car.
"I was leading a normal life but nine months later, when the charges were dropped, I was left with only the clothes I stood up in," said Mr Disson.
"Since then I have been slowly rebuilding my life. I was due to go to Thailand in December for a friend's wedding but three days before I was due to fly I found myself arrested at gunpoint. What happened after that was just a nightmare and even to this day I don't really know what I was meant to have done.
"I think the police have a lot of questions to answer," he added.
Paul Schofield, of Farleys Solicitors, who represented Mr Wilson during the proceedings but now acts for both men, said he was instructed to advise in relation to a possible action against the police.
