AN MP has demanded an inquiry into why it took two years to clear a former undertaker of sexually assaulting mentally-handicapped men.

The move came as police bosses remained unavailable to comment on the case, two days after first being asked to explain their actions.

Ribble Valley Tory Nigel Evans said he wanted to know why it took so long before police and Crown Prosecution Service officials realised there was no case to answer against Richard Chew.

Mr Chew, 68, of Brownlow Street, Clitheroe, was cleared earlier this week of nine allegations of sexual assault on three handicapped men, two years after he was arrested.

Throwing the case out at Preston Crown Court, Judge Anthony Proctor criticised the investigation into the allegations and said the case would never have been brought if it had been conducted properly.

He was told that had the prosecution been in possession of medical evidence from a GP the prosecution probably would not have been brought.

Mr Chew's solicitor said the psychological reports proved the alleged victims' evidence could not be trusted.

Mr Evans today demanded that Lancashire Police and the Crime Prosecution Service answer the key questions about what went wrong.

He said: "We need a proper investigation into how this was allowed to happen.

"It costs a huge amount of tax payer's money and a huge amount of stress both to the accused and the witnesses.

"Why was not all the information available at the beginning? "If there had been a proper assessment, this case should have been closed two years ago.

"The police and the CPS must not be allowed to collude over their silence. There are important questions to ask about this case and they must be answered.

"This was a very, very disturbing case and the tax payer and those involved need to know what happened and why."

The CPS said it abandoned the case after new medical evidence came to light on the day the trial was due to start at Preston Crown Court.

A spokesman said: "All we can say is that on the first day of the trial there was fresh evidence presented which we had previously been unaware of. As a result the only course of action was to discontinue the matter."

Mr Chew, chauffeur for the deputy mayor of Clitheroe and boss of Clitheroe Funeral Services before he retired four years ago, said he was now considering legal action against Lancashire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

A police spokesman said he was trying to find a senior officer to comment on the case.