But he discounted its findings, saying his own review of investigative reports and medical evaluations had convinced him that he did have enough evidence to take to trial. He said there was nothing in the report from the Yale clinic "that would lead me to question the credibility of the child." He also cited the findings of the judge in the custody case, who called Mr. Allen's conduct with Dylan "grossly inappropriate."

Mr. Maco's remarks about the case were criticized by some legal scholars, who said it was an unfair attempt to have it both ways by claiming victory without taking the case to trial.

Stephen Gillers, a professor at New York University Law School and an expert on legal ethics, criticized Mr. Maco, saying, "You don't declare the man guilty and then say you're not going to prosecute, leaving him to defend himself in the press."

"It's a violation of Allen's constitutional rights, in my view," Mr. Gillers said. "I can't overemphasize how remarkable this is." Attack on the Prosecutor

Mr. Allen also attacked the prosecutor. He said that if the prosectors had any hope of making a case against him stick, "the state's attorney would, with full maternal consent, proceed nonstop even if it meant putting my little girl through a meat grinder."

Mr. Allen drew laughter from the crowd of journalists as he described his dealings with Connecticut police as a scene straight out of one of his movies. But his long, tortuous diatribe against Ms. Farrow and the authorities investigating the case occasionally seemed to follow its own internal logic, as when he addressed a message to his daughter, apologizing for missing her eighth birthday and assuring her that "the dark forces will not prevail."

"Not second-rate police or judicial setbacks, not tabloid press nor those who perjure themselves nor all who rush to judgment, not the pious or hypocritical, the bigoted; I'm too tough for all of them put together and I will never abandon you to the bad guys," he said. A Celebrity Pursued