No charges following tragic death of Southampton schoolboy

It comes after the case against his stepfather Peter Meek and mother Sarah Spacagna, along with Mr Meek's brother Phillip, was reopened after failings in the original investigation were admitted by police.

That came in the wake of an inquest into Blake death which returned an open verdict.

That court heard how the seven year old was in the care of Peter and Phillip when he suffered a catastrophic brain injury in December 2011.

The explanation given by Peter was that Blake had fallen from the sofa while he was play fighting.

Neither Peter nor Phillip were in the room at the time.

Both men were initially arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm but were subsequently released without charge.

However, forensic evidence heard by the coroner's court found there were traces of the ceiling material Artex in Blake's hair and on his lip for which there was no explanation.

The Daily Echo revealed that during the first investigation no file of evidence was ever passed to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) which ultimately decides whether there is a case to answer.

That along with lines of inquiry which were not thoroughly investigated by police at the time, prompted a fresh probe to be launched by major crime detectives under the name Operation Katla.

As a result Peter 25, and Phillip, 24, were re-arrested in April on suspicion of murder and causing or allowing the death of a child while Ms Spacagna, 28, was arrested on causing or allowing the death of a child.

Following a detailed re-investigation by specialist officers of all the evidence, the file was passed to the CPS which has now confirmed that there are insufficient grounds to press any charges in connection with Blake's death.

A CPS statement read: “The CPS was asked to consider a file of evidence to decide whether or not someone should be prosecuted for any offence in connection with the death of Blake Fowler who died from a head trauma in 2011 when he was seven years old.

"Following a careful review of all the available evidence it has been decided that there is insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence in relation to any person."

Hampshire police confirmed they had been notified of the decision. A spokesman for the force said that concluded the case.

Detective Chief Inspector Vicky Dennis said: “A team of detectives from the Hampshire Major Investigation Team conducted a thorough and detailed investigation into the circumstances that led to Blake's death. We acknowledge the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service.”

Blake died from the head injury he suffered while he was at the Meeks' grandparents home in Cromarty Road in Lordshill.

At the time Peter Meek was facing a charge of assault against Blake's mother Sarah with whom he should not have been in contact.

However, evidence given at Blake's inquest heard the pair had rekindled their relationship in secret.

For that reason the court heard there was a delay by Peter Meek in contacting the emergency services who first rang Sarah first.

Paramedics took Blake to Southampton General Hospital where doctors confirmed that he would not recover from the brain injury he had suffered and the decision was made to turn off his life support machine the following day.

Blake Fowler's inquest was one of three held in November 2013 which examined the deaths of children in Southampton in 2011.

The city's coroner's court heard evidence surrounding the deaths of brothers Jayden, two, and Bradley Adams, four, and three-month-old baby Nico Maynard.

All the children were in the care of their parents at the times of their deaths. In each of case the then coroner Keith Wiseman recorded open verdicts as he said he could not be sure how the children died.

None of the children's parents gave evidence at the hearings. Instead their statements to Hampshire police during their investigations were read out.

In all cases Serious Case Reviews were ordered which examine whether the authorities could have done more to safeguard the children from harm.

The reports into Nico and Jayden and Bradley have already been published and made a number of recommendations.

The investigation report into Blake's death was delayed pending the outcome of any criminal proceedings.

A case of child neglect against Jayden and Bradley's mother Shelly Adams was also reviewed by the CPS following the boys' inquest but that also concluded there was insufficient evidence to press charges.