POLICE have apologised after magistrates threw out a case against a man suspected of slashing car tyres – despite residents collecting CCTV evidence.

Eleven car tyres had been slashed in Carlton Miniott, Thirsk, leading one frustrated victim to install CCTV cameras.

Although police charged a suspect, the case was thrown out of Harrogate Magistrates’ Court due a paperwork error and the CPS not submitting the CCTV evidence in time.

Presiding magistrate Marion Simon criticised the authorities, saying: “For the police to submit a case summary that has been signed off and for that to be incomplete – there is no excuse for that.

"The bench has to make clear that we are appalled at the way this case has been handled by the CPS and the police.”

Chris Moores, who installed the cameras after two of his wheels were slashed, said the police “had an absolute nightmare of it”.

He added: “They just made a complete mess of it from the start.”

Mr Moores, an electrician, installed the cameras after his wife unknowingly drove their children in the car after the tyre had been slashed.

Another victim, David Robson, mapped out all the cars that had been damaged and discovered that 11 vehicles had been targeted.

He said the case was “incredibly frustrating”, adding: “It was just handled so unprofessionally, you would not believe, we had done everything we could.

"We gave them camera stills, night video and because the police and the CPS were so unprofessional it got thrown out. Because they handled it wrong it wasn’t permissible in court.”

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: “We’re sorry we let the villagers down in this case.

"We acknowledge the magistrate’s comments, and we recognise that we should have done better. We will review the quality of the investigation to establish what happened and ensure lessons are learned.