Examples of cases from the East Midlands Complex Casework Unit:

Gang shooting in Derby

Michael Paul Hamblett-Sewell, a gang leader in Derby was tried and convicted of murder for ordering the shooting of 15-year-old Kadeem Blackwood. The young man who had pulled the trigger had already pleaded guilty, but Hamblett-Sewell was convicted because he had arranged the shooting and instructed his deputy to carry it out.

Drug conspiracy in Lincolnshire

A group of 11 defendants were convicted for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs when a planned air drop was thwarted in Belgium. Evidence tracked the group's activities across several counties, including the arrest of a courier, who was stopped on the A1 in Nottinghamshire carrying a supply of heroin. The ringleader, Marcus Brown, was sentenced to 16 years.

East Midlands Complex Casework Unit

The complex casework unit prosecutes cases that are particularly sensitive or high profile. The purpose of the unit is to build expertise to deal with the Area's most serious and complex crimes and criminality that spans across borders. The unit enables CPS East Midlands to deal with complex cases more effectively, by employing experienced lawyers, caseworkers and administrators in one place, so that these cases can have the most appropriate resources allocated to them.

Types of cases taken on by the unit

  • Organised crime, including serious drug-related offences with substantial importation, manufacture or supply
  • Cases with higher than average numbers of defendants or victims
  • Serious abuse or human trafficking
  • Historical cases
  • Complex fraud
  • Cases that cross the borders between areas
  • Complex or unusual aspects to the police investigation
  • Cases that are particularly sensitive to their local communities

The unit works closely with the police forces in the region, including the more specialised police departments.  This means that prosecutors can become involved with serious crimes at the earliest possible stage and manage the prosecution from start to finish.

Cases will be referred to the unit either from elsewhere in CPS East Midlands or directly by the police, with whom the unit has an ongoing professional relationship.

The unit is headed by a senior lawyer, supported by an experienced business manager.