London - A photograph of two naked girls owned by popstar Elton John and removed from a public exhibition as part of a child pornography probe is not an indecent image, Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided Friday. The image, taken by renowned US photographer Nan Goldin, was seized by police last month before it was due to go on display at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, in the north-eastern city of Newcastle.
The CPS, the authority which decides whether a prosecution should be brought, said that "the evidence is insufficient to justify proceedings for offences of possession or distribution of an indecent photograph."
The controversial photograph, entitled Klara and Edda Belly- Dancing 1998, was among 149 Goldin images owned by Sir Elton, who condemned the police action at the time.
The photograph has been exhibited all over the world and was offered for sale at Sotheby's New York in 2002 and 2004.
It has long been the subject of debate over whether the image is too explicit.
"We are pleased that this matter has now been resolved," the Baltic said in a statement.
