It’s been 10 hours since Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office – and no word yet on whether he has or will be charged.
It is unclear where exactly Andrew is being questioned, but he is likely to have had his mug shot taken before heading into the confines of a small interview room.
In the coming hours, the focus shifts to the intense legal procedural window. Under UK law, police have 24 hours to either charge or release a suspect. However, for a complex case involving “misconduct in public office,” they can apply for extensions.
A senior officer can authorise a further 12 hours, but any extension up to the 96-hour maximum requires a warrant from a magistrate. The police can then release Andrew on bail if there’s not enough evidence to charge him.
Searches are being carried out at addresses in Berkshire, west of London, and Norfolk, northeast of the capital. Windsor Castle, within which Mountbatten-Windsor lived until earlier this month, is in Berkshire, while Sandringham is in Norfolk.
The Crown Prosecution Service will need to make a decision about charging him. Andrew Gilmore, a partner at Grosvenor Law, said that prosecutors will apply the two-stage test known as the “Code for Crown Prosecutors.“
“That test is to determine whether there is a more realistic prospect of a conviction than not based on the evidence and whether the matter is in the public interest,” he said.
“If these two tests are met, then the matter will be charged and proceed to court.”
With AP
