**** PUBLIC PROSECUTION SERVICE Media Release
Public Prosecution Service Responds to Public Request to Drop Charges Against Santina Rao
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The Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service has received numerous email requests from the public to drop the charges against Santina Rao. Charges of causing bodily harm to a peace officer, resisting/obstructing a peace officer and causing a disturbance were laid by Halifax Regional Police following a Jan. 15 incident at Walmart in Halifax.
This matter is now before the provincial court with the next court appearance set for July. The matter is also the subject of a SIRT investigation which has not yet concluded.
A decision to pursue or halt a prosecution cannot be based on requests from the public and the Crown does not argue cases through the media. Under Canadian law, decisions regarding a prosecution must be based on an assessment by the Crown attorney of the available evidence and established legal principles supporting the exercise of prosecutorial discretion.
The PPS’s policy on prosecutorial discretion can be found at, http://novascotia.ca/pps/publications/ca_manual/ProsecutionPolicies/DecisionToProsecute.pdf
