A TERRIFIED shopkeeper who watched a robber point a gun at her son's head during a raid hit out today after the case was dropped when a witness disappeared.

Dawn Abbott, 31, could only look on helplessly as a thug wearing a scarf and hat pointed what appeared to be a double barrelled shotgun in the face of her nine-year-old son, Christopher, before screaming: "Get me the cash."

A 15-year-old boy was charged with robbery following the raid at Dixon's off licence, Albert Place, Lower Darwen, but Dawn was left stunned after the Crown Prosecution Service told her they were not going ahead with the case.

It follows the disappearance of a witness who said the accused robber confessed the crime to him.

Mrs Abbott said: "I just can't believe it. There were other witnesses but because one person can't be tracked down they've just given up.

"We went through hell. The robber pointed the gun at my boy's face and for weeks after he was unable to sleep.

"My four-year-old daughter, Laura, was also there but thankfully she was too young to take any of it in. "We put the cash - about £80 - in the bag and he left but the psychological scars have remained."

Mrs Abbott said she will now be seeking the advice of a solicitor to see if she has a case to bring a private prosecution.

Duncan Birrell, prosecution team leader with the Crown Prosecution Service, said the evidence of the missing witness was the most important part of the case.

He said: "His evidence was crucial to the prospect of the success of this case.

"It appeared the accused had confessed his guilt to the witness so without him we felt we did not have a strong enough case to proceed.

"All the other witnesses could see was the eyebrows of the person alleged to have carried out the robbery because the face was concealed.

"Efforts were made to provide supporting evidence. If the witness does turn up again then the case could be reopened but the situation is that the defendant was discharged."

Blackburn based Detective Chief Inspector Neil Smith said today: "It's obviously disappointing when we lose cases because key witnesses do not turn up.

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