THE grieving father of schoolgirl Liberty Baker this morning  told of his devastation after police tried to prosecute him for "harassing" the family of her killer.

Paul Baker was due to appear before magistrates yesterday - only for the police to back down at the 11th hour and drop the case.

He had been handed a summons just days after seeing Robert Blackwell jailed for four causing death by dangerous driving.

Henry Box School pupil Liberty, 14, was killed when Blackwell's car crashed into her as he sped along Curbridge Road in Witney on June 30 last year.

Police launched the harassment investigation after complaints from Blackwell's family, who live in Bampton.

Mr Baker said he was first interviewed in February and was then told there would be no further action.

However in April - just days after Blackwell was jailed at Oxford Crown Court - he received a summons to appear at Banbury Magistrates Court on two charges of harassment without violence.

Mr Baker said it related from an incident where he passed Blackwell’s father Andrew in a narrow lane and glared at him.
 
He said on another occasion he had approached Blackwell’s mother Julia but only to ask for directions.
 
He told the Oxford Mail this morning: “My wife Maureen and I were totally devastated when I was summoned to court.
 
“It was a shock and came out of the blue, especially days after [Blackwell] was sentenced.
 
“We thought we were finally getting some closure.
 
“It just shows the injustices of the justice system.”
 
Mr Baker said he had originally been summoned to court in April but had written to Banbury Magistrates’ Court to ask for the date of his appearance, originally scheduled for yesterday, to be changed as it was too close to the anniversary of Liberty’s death.
 
Mr Baker said police had told him proceedings against him had been dropped, but he believes he may still have to appear in court on July 14 to officially end the case.
 
He said: “I got a letter from HM Courts and Tribunals Service on May 12 and it said the hearing had been adjourned until July 14 in Oxford Magistrates Court.
 
“Then we had a visit from our local police officer and they said the case had been dropped and there would be no further action.
 
“I then called the Crown Prosecution Service to ask for confirmation and they said I was still expected to appear in court on July 14.
 
“It is all as clear as mud.”

Police admitted today they had to drop the case because too much time had expired by the time they issued the court summons.

Spokeswoman Connie Primmer said: "After a further review of the case it was identified that the time limit for proceeding with the prosecution had expired and the summons had been sought in error."

After the sentencing of Blackwell, Mr Baker, of Thorney Leys, Witney, said: “We are devastated at the sentence that has been handed down today.

“This man’s actions cost my daughter her life, and we will have to live with our loss every single day, while he is only likely to spend a few years in prison.

“We will never recover from the cruel and heartbreaking way our beautiful daughter was taken from us. Our lives will never be the same again. Liberty was such a kind and caring girl and her glowing smile lit up our lives.”

Speaking in court, prosecutor Ian Hope described the crash in detail and said Blackwell completely failed to turn when he came to a left-hand bend, despite having 13 seconds to do so.

He told Judge Ian Pringle the teenager did not brake until after he had hit the group. Police investigators estimated when he tried to stop the car he was still travelling at 44mph, well above the 30mph speed limit.

Mr Hope said the car also hit two other girls and council worker Paul Cracknell, who broke every bone in his right leg and foot.

Mr Hope said a text message had just been received on Blackwell’s iPhone, but the teenager has always denied checking his mobile before the crash.

The barrister said: “The most obvious reason for the gross lack of attention to the road, and it was a road he knew well, was that he was in some way messing about with his phone.”

Mr Hope also mentioned that Blackwell admitted taking cannabis about 24 hours before the incident, but said there was no evidence this had played a role.

Blackwell was also banned from driving for five years.

Yesterday Mr Baker told the Oxford Mail about how stressful it had been that Blackwell was left on police bail for more than four months before he was charged.

He said: “It was a very tense time for us and we did not know whether he would be charged or not.

“When he was on bail he was allowed to drive and that was very stressful for my wife Maureen and I.

“There was always a chance that he would be charged with a lesser offence like death by careless driving and that was a real worry for us. It was a real relief when he was charged.”