Errors lead to dropping of Haneef charge

From the ABC:

The charge against Mohamed Haneef has been dropped.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) say their investigations will continue despite dropping a terrorism-related charge against Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef.

Dr Haneef has been in custody for almost four weeks and was charged two weeks ago with recklessly providing support to a terrorist organisation.

In the Brisbane Magistrates Court this afternoon, the AFP applied to have that charge dropped.

An application to amend the charge against Dr Haneef was adjourned this morning pending the outcome of a review of the case against him by the Commonwealth Director of Prosecutions (DPP).

The matter resumed this afternoon when senior counsel Alan McSporran announced to the court that the DPP found there was not a reasonable prospect of a conviction.

At a press conference this afternoon, the Commonwealth DPP Damian Bugg QC said the charge had been dropped because a mistake was made in the case.

"On my view of this matter a mistake has been made and I will examine that because to me the primary decision to make was to determine whether or not this prosecution was on sound footing or not, I've made that determination," he said.

"I'll now take further steps to inquire as to how that mistake occurred."

Mr Bugg says one of the significant errors in the handling of the case was about where Dr Haneef had lived in the United Kingdom.

He says the other error was that the prosecutor told the court that Dr Haneef's phone SIM card was found in a burning Jeep at Glasgow airport when it was actually found in Liverpool.