File-sharing court case withdrawn

An ongoing UK court case against 27 individuals accused of illegal file-sharing has been withdrawn by prosecuting lawyer Andrew Crossley after he claimed to have received threats.

Working on behalf of client MediaCAT, Crossley sent out thousands of letters to the accused ordering them to pay a 500 fine or face court action.

"I have ceased my work," he stated, according to the BBC. "I have been subject to criminal attack. My e-mails have been hacked. I have had death threats and bomb threats. It has caused immense hassle to me and my family."

However, the circumstances surrounding the withdrawal are unclear.

Consumer rights body Which? has already accused Crossley’s firm ACS: Law of targeting innocent people, and the firm itself suffered a data breach in October last year that saw the details of ISP customers published online.

Leading internet service provider BT has also been critical of its methods.

The judge overseeing the case was less than happy with the latest development.

"I want to tell you that I am not happy," he stated. "I am getting the impression with every twist and turn since I started looking at these cases that there is a desire to avoid any judicial scrutiny."