I can't believe what I've just read. A civil case yeah why not but criminal charges and imprisonment from a private entity after the CPS have basically said its not worth it? Scary.
English law has only partly transitioned to public prosecutions. Private prosecutions are still legally the norm, but CPS prosecuting a case is de-facto the norm, as they have the right to take over a private prosecution. In most cases, CPS either takes over a case and prosecutes it, or takes over a case and drops the charges (if evidence is wholly insufficient, or continuing prosecution is against public policy). But this leaves the awkward vestigial category: cases that CPS chooses neither to intervene to prosecute nor to intervene to drop, which can go forward at a private party's own expense.
(Note: Only true of English/Welsh law; Scots law makes it much harder to bring a private prosecution.)
(Note: Only true of English/Welsh law; Scots law makes it much harder to bring a private prosecution.)