Surrey Police have refused to reveal exactly why no one will face any criminal charges over the death of Banstead pensioner Gloria Foster.
Mrs Foster, 81, was found near death by a district nurse who visited her home in Priory Court, Chipstead Road, Banstead, on January 24 last year.
She had been left without carers, who visited her four times a day to help dress, wash and feed her, for nine days after the care agency Care1st24, based in Sutton, was shut down following an immigration raid by police on January 15.
Mrs Foster, who had been suffering from dementia, depression, diabetes and a number of other health problems, died in Epsom Hospital on February 4.
Following Mrs Foster’s death last year, Surrey Police launched an investigation, but found there was no criminal case for anyone to answer.
Last September, senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Mark Preston, said: "Our Major Crime Team carried out an extensive investigation looking at the circumstances leading up to Ms Foster’s tragic death.
"We then received advice from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and determined that there was no criminal case to answer.
"The friends and family of Ms Foster were updated with the results of our investigation and we shared the findings with Surrey County Council to assist them in ensuring that the circumstances of Ms Foster’s tragic death are never replicated."
When asked by this newspaper last week how and why the police had reached this conclusion, which criminal charges were under consideration, and whether the criminal offence of gross negligence manslaughter - an offence usually committed by a serious failure to act - was considered, Surrey Police said: "We have no further comment to make at this time.
"No document detailing how we reached our decision was ever published."
Delivering his verdict at Woking Coroners' Court on Tuesday, Coroner Richard Travers said that Mrs Foster's immobilisation for the nine days had "contributed in a way that was more than minimal" to her death.
He ruled that her death had been from natural causes, contributed to by neglect.
Following the verdict, Ann Penston, a friend who had been given an enduring power over attorney over Mrs Foster’s financial matters, said "I don’t think I will comment on that" after she was asked on whether the conclusion reached by the police was satisfactory.
Surrey County Council’s Serious Case Review into Mrs Foster’s death, published last September, stated: "Surrey Police initially determined that Mrs Foster’s case, although a serious mistake, did not meet the criminal threshold for wilful neglect/ill-treatment.
"This was not seen as an intentional or deliberate act. They therefore decided there was no necessity to attend the safeguarding meeting of January 30 or to investigate.
"Following the death of Mrs Foster, on the instigation of the coroner, further enquiries were undertaken by Surrey/Sussex Major Crime Team to determine whether the failure to transfer Mrs Foster to alternative care provision constituted gross breach of duty of care amounting to a criminal offence.
"Following liaison with the CPS the outcome of the enquiries was that no criminal charges should be brought against any individual employee or Surrey County Council."
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