It has been decided that there is insufficient evidence to convict a young Maple Ridge man of sexual assault in connection with a rave in Pitt Meadows 16 months ago.

Crown counsel appeared before Judge S. Dossa this morning in Port Coquitlam's provincial court, directing a stay of proceedings against Colton Ashton McMorris.

The rave occurred on Sept. 10, 2010. The party, dubbed Another Night in Bangkok, was held at a Harris Road residence where police allege a 16-year-old girl was sexually assaulted while a group of partiers looked on and recorded the incident.

After months of reviewing forensic evidence and witness reports in the case - which involved a total of three accused - senior prosecutor Wendy Van Tongenen Harvey concluded there was not enough evidence to take the case to trial and win, Neil MacKenzie, communications counsel for B.C.'s criminal justice branch told The TIMES.

Bottomline, he said, "There wasn't a substantial likelihood of prosecution."

The announcement came just days before McMorris, 19, was set to go to trial. His trial was set to begin in the PoCo courthouse on Monday, Feb. 27.

While a stay of proceedings leaves the door open for Crown to revisit the same charges within a year, MacKenzie was not about to speculate that such a move could or should be expected in this case, unless substantial new evidence came to light.

A 17-year-old co-accused, who cannot be identified because he's a juvenile, pleaded guilty back in December to recording the incident on his BlackBerry. Although he did not post it on Facebook, he passed the material on to friends who did.

His trial began in early December, but after only one witness testified, the defence lawyer came back with a change of plea.

The teen was subsequently sentenced on Feb. 10 to a year of probation and was ordered to write a 1,500-word essay on the benefits and dangers of social media, and a letter of apology - a sentence that angered the alleged victim's father.

Charges are still outstanding against a third person arrested in connection with the rave attack.

Dennis John Allen Warrington, 20, still faces charges of production and distribution of child pornography. The man, documented as a Langley resident, grew up in Maple Ridge.

Van Tongenen Harvey is still expected to head the prosecution of Warrington at his trial, which is set to start Sept. 24.

- Stay tuned for more rave news as it unfolds in the online and print editions of The TIMES.