No-one will be prosecuted over the death of a 13-year-old girl who hanged herself in bushes near her family's home.
Amber Peat was found dead on June 2, 2015, three days after she went missing in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.
An inquest earlier this year heard allegations that she suffered emotional abuse and “severe punishments” at home, as well as claims that she had told a teacher that the family’s dog was treated better than her.
On the day she vanished after a row at home, her mum, Kelly Peat, and stepdad, Daniel Peat, fail to report her missing for almost eight hours, going to a Tesco and having dinner instead.
Prosecutors took another look at the case following the inquest and further evidence gathered by Nottinghamshire Police.
But they decided that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute anyone for criminal offences relating to Amber's treatment before she died, NottinghamshireLive reports.
Amber's body was found three days after she went missing from her home after a row with her mother over household chores.
A coroner at the hearing in February concluded that agencies had missed 11 opportunities which could have prevented the youngster's death, while a serious case review in March found her death "could not have been predicted".
The hearing at Nottingham Coroner's Court heard allegations that Amber suffered emotional abuse and that her stepdad “humiliated” her and gave her “severe punishments”.
She had told her teachers she had to "scrub the floor" until 1.30am and that her stepfather had forced her to wear a "ridiculous" outfit to school.
The inquest heard "bright and outgoing" Amber appeared withdrawn when she was with her mother and stepfather.
A teacher claimed the schoolgirl told her the family’s dog was treated better than her.
Amber ran away from home several times, the hearing was told.
Assistant coroner Laurinda Bower suggested it was "significant" that this never happened while Mr Peat was in prison for fraud.
Ms Bower said Amber's parents were "not concerned in the slightest" after the teenager left her home at about 5.10pm on May 30, 2015.
Despite the youngster having a history of running away, Mrs Peat only called police to report her missing nearly eight hours later, at 12.56am the following day.
Before calling police the mum and stepfather went to a Tesco and a car wash.
Mrs Peat admitted she should have called sooner when she gave evidence at the inquest.
The inquest heard Mrs Peat believed Amber was "attention-seeking" when she left the home following the argument.
Although up to 400 police staff were involved in the search for Amber, her body was only found on June 2, 2015.
The coroner recorded a narrative conclusion, saying she could not be sure Amber intended to commit suicide, and criticised health, education and social care teams for missing 11 chances to save the tormented child.
Amber was failed by organisations which should have protected her, the coroner said.
The serious case review, commissioned by Nottinghamshire Safeguarding Children Board, suggested the teenager believed "she was to blame for many of the difficulties within the family", while a lack of planning led to gaps in the care she received.
There were concerns for Amber's "emotional well-being", the report stated.
Despite discussing her problems with two of her previous schools and with a youth worker, practitioners admitted their understanding of Amber's life was very limited.
The review suggested the family frequently moving house, a lack of recording in primary schools, a failure in following policies and procedures, and a weakness in transferring information led to the lack of communication between agencies.
Police had referred new evidence to prosecutors and asked them to revisit the charging decision.
But after another review of the case, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) determined that the new evidence did not materially change its earlier decision from 2016.
A CPS spokesperson said: "Following the inquest into the tragic death of Amber Peat, we have reviewed the case once more in light of the coroner’s findings and further material gathered by Nottinghamshire Police.
"After careful consideration of all the available evidence, we have concluded there is insufficient evidence to prosecute anyone for criminal offences relating to Amber’s treatment up to the time of her death.
"Amber’s relatives have been updated about the decision.
"Our thoughts remain with them."
Scandal of lost chances
January 2014: Amber is referred to Derbyshire social services by family’s GP. She runs away from home twice. No family assessment is done.
June 2014: The Peats move to Notts. Amber’s file is not passed on.
March 2015: Amber’s school in Mansfield contacts Nottingham County Council over teacher’s concerns she is being emotionally abused and deprived of food. Social services take no action.
May 2015: Amber goes missing. Her mum and stepdad fail to report it for almost eight hours, going out to eat instead.
June 2, 2015: Amber's body is found hanged in a bush.
