Dr Devinder Sivia will not face any charges for the death of his friend and work colleague, fellow academic Professor Steven Rawlings, the Crown Prosecution Service has announced.
Professor Rawlings was found dead in January this year, aged 50, at a bungalow belonging to Dr Sivia.
Dr Sivia, a stipendiary lecturer in mathematics for sciences at Oxford, was subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder. He then spent 24 hours in custody before being released on police bail, pending further inquiries.
Upon his arrest, Rawlings’ wife, Linda, stated that she did not believe Dr Sivia was responsible for the death, stating, ‘Steve and Devinder were best friends since college, and I believe this is a tragic accident… I do not believe that Steve’s death is murder and I do not believe Devinder should be tarnished in this way.”
She expressed her relief at the outcome of the investigation and said in a statement, “I am satisfied with the decision made by the Crown Prosecution Service that there will be no criminal charges brought.”
Bajit Ubhey, chief crown prosecutor for Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service, released an official statement, stating, “Professor Rawlings died at the Oxfordshire home of a friend. A post-mortem examination was conducted, but was inconclusive and further tests were required.
“Devinderjit Sivia was arrested, interviewed and bailed pending further inquiries. Having received the file from police and considering all the evidence, I have decided he will not face any charges in relation to the death of Steven Rawlings.”
Dr Sivia’s father, Gurbaksh Sivia, told the press that his son was leading a normal life again and had returned back to work. He added, however, that the death of his friend would continue to be “on his mind.”
