BOSSES at the Crown Prosecution Service have blamed lack of evidence for the delay in charging three people with the murder of horse dealer Leslie Jackson.

Leslie Jackson, 69, was found battered to death at his home in Sussex Drive, Audley, Blackburn in November 1990 but it was eight years before anyone was charged with the killing.

This week at Preston Crown Court Judge Peter Openshaw, QC, dropped the case against Mr Jackson's niece, Bernadette Meadowcroft, 31, of Haworth Avenue, Church, and Robert Atkinson, 37, formerly of Chester Close, Blackburn.

The prosecution earlier offered no evidence against David Leek, 36, of Abraham Street, Mill Hill, Blackburn.

Today, a spokesman for the CPS, which leads criminal prosecutions in the courts, said the evidence had only been considered strong enough to proceed to a trial in 1998 -- eight years after the killing.

In his ruling this week, Judge Openshaw said no striking new evidence had changed the strength of the case against those who had been charged and that a substantial part of the prosecution case was based on conversations and observations that took place many years ago.

He said: "After ten years the time has long since passed for those remembered conversations to be presented with any real hope of accuracy or reliability."

But a CPS spokesman said: "The file was first submitted for advice regarding Mr Atkinson in 1993 and the police were asked to make further inquiries and provide further details.

"The evidence was then considered again in 1994 but was not considered sufficient for prosecution at that time.

"Lancashire Police having resurrected their inquiries, referred the case to us in November 1998, which included the case against Miss Meadowcroft for the first time.

"The evidence as a whole was considered, including the links between the two of them and police were advised that there was sufficient evidence to prosecute."

Lancashire Police said they were disappointed that the case had not been allowed to go before a jury, but fully accepted the judge's decision. They said the police had twice had authority to proceed denied by the CPS and they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the killing.

They added that further prosecution of the three people could not be ruled out.