Cops accused of leaking RiRi’s `bloody` pic not facing criminal charges

New York: The two female police officers who had been accused of leaking Rihanna’s “bloody” photograph, will not be charged by the Los Angeles DA’s office due to lack of evidence, according to sources.

The 24-year-old singer had been beaten by Chris Brown in a rented Lamborghini in February 2009. According to the Times, officials still plan to fire the officer who used her cell phone to snap a copy of the famous photo and the rookie who had made the first call to a website. Prosecutors cited a lack of evidence to show that the officers had been compensated. The photo showed the hip hop artist having deep bruises on either side of her forehead, blackened areas around her eyes and what appeared to be blood at the corners of her mouth. Searches of the officers’ bank accounts reportedly had showed no evidence of any payment, even though one widely circulated media report placed the price tag at 62,000 dollars. It’s possible that payment had been funnelled through a third party, a source said, but investigators were limited in the scope of their probe. A DA spokeswoman said that her office had no power to carry on the search. “We couldn’t have gone on a fishing expedition. There’s no case. We have no subpoena power,” a leading daily has quoted spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons as saying. 23-year-old R and B singer Chris Brown had been arrested in connection with the violent attack and later pleaded guilty to felony assault in a deal that spared him jail time. A police affidavit said that Brown had punched, choked and bit Rihanna before trying to push her out of the car. Officer Rebecca Reyes had admitted she made her copy of the Rihanna pic after it was left in plain view atop a desk. She reportedly had taken the shot shortly after the 12:40 a.m. beatdown and spoke to Officer Bianca Lopez by phone a short time later. According to reports, Lopez, her roommate, quickly made several calls to TMZ’s broadcast parent Fox Television and contacted TMZ directly at 2:15 a.m. Police declined to discuss the photo’s authenticity when it appeared days later but issued a stern statement. “The LAPD does not and will not release any victim’s photos. It’s that simple. We have not,” a department spokesman added. ANI