Knight escapes obscenity charge

University of Central England vice-chancellor Peter Knight has escaped prosecution under obscenity laws, following the Crown Prosecution Service's decision to return a book to the university library that had been deemed obscene. Twelve months ago West Midlands Police seized the book, Mapplethorpe, a collection of sado-masochistic and homoerotic photographs by the late Robert Mapplethorpe, after a student tried to process photographs of images from it at a local chemist. Dr Knight said it was a "public disgrace" that it has taken the CPS 12 months to reach a decision.