FLipping heck police and CPS can’t win!! If they aren’t charged they get criticized and if they do then everyone criticizes. There is a huge section of society who won’t have a clue who they are or might not know much about it. Surprisingly a lot of people never listen to the news or read a newspaper, this happened 18 years ago so anyone from 18-32 I would suggest may struggle to remember this let alone the news paper reports.
I think lots of these things are potentially difficult to give fair trials due to the internet etc. All you need to do is google a defendants name (admittedly the Judge will normally warn a jury not to do that, however isn’t that like a red rag to a bull?). Interesting stuff the British judicial system.
New forensic evidence .. if it’s forensic then it will all be about technique development I imagine rather than relying on a witness who saw something 18 years ago. Very interesting and I will be following closely.