Chief Crown Prosecutors Blog: by Colin Chapman

Tuesday 5 May 2009 Autism and the CJS

Today, with Lynda Jackson our Communications Manager, I attended a Forum on the Criminal Justice System & Autistic Spectrum Disorder presented by autism.westmidlands, an independent provider of services for people with autistic spectrum disorders.

A very full lecture hall at Police Headquarters learnt about autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is an umbrella term used to describe a variety of disorders associated with autism.  We learnt that people with ASD can range from having average to high intelligence to having severe learning disabilities.  A Triad of Impairments typifies autism impairments of communication, social interaction and imagination, leading to rather rigid thought patterns and inflexible ways of thinking.

We heard some fascinating examples of people with ASD and the ways that they might behave and the problems this might cause for those of us in the CJS who might have to deal with them:-

• Tim who spends hours looking at a display in a bathroom showroom;
• Darren, a football fan who likes to wear the oppositions shirt when his own team loses;
• Joe who loves to sit in red Peugot 206 cars with red doors;
• Jake who gives his prize possession of a milk carton to a girl who he fancies.

We learned that some of the things you might find when dealing with a person with ASD.  They may:-

• have difficulty in understanding you;
• repeat what you say;
• not give eye contact or stare;
• be very honest and therefore appear rude;
• appear very anxious and agitated;
• display obsessions and repetitive behaviour;
• seem confused about what is happening.

We also learned some strategies for helping to improve the situation:-

• say the persons name to get their attention;
• keep language simple and allow time for a response;
• keep non verbal language to a minimum;
• add visual support to what you are saying;
• be very clear about what is happening write things down.

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by
e mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

Violence Against Women Scrutiny Panel Wednesday 11 March 2009

This week has been very fast moving (!), as this afternoon we held our first ever Violence Against Women Scrutiny Panel, which mirrors the Hate Crime Panel but looks at cases of violence against women (VAW).

Firstly let me explain that the term Violence against Women does not exclude offences committed in similar circumstances against men.  Indeed it does include such offences, but the VAW title is given because the vast majority of such offences relates to women.

Secondly, what does VAW include?  There are three strands:-

• Domestic Abuse;
• Rape;
• Serious Sexual Offences;

and today, on our panel, we had people representing victims and survivors of each type of offending, including one very brave lady who is the survivor of domestic abuse and has joined us in order to try and improve the service we and the criminal justice system provide for others who may find themselves in the same situation as she did.

I am really very pleased that CPS West Mercia has now established both a Hate Crime and a VAW Scrutiny Panel so that we can show that we are really committed to working with and within our communities to really improve on what we are doing.  I am very grateful to our panel members, both old and new.

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by
e mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

Hate Crime Scrutiny Panel Wednesday 11 March 2009

Hot on the heels of our Disability Hate Crime Conference, today we held our quarterly Hate Crime Scrutiny Panel, in which external community members come to our offices and scrutinise some real case files in order to challenge us on the way that we handle these cases, with a view to learning lessons and improving the service we provide.

Today we considered cases of race crime and the issues around prosecuting such cases.

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by
e mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

CPS Disability Hate Crime Conference Tuesday 10 March 2009

Again, I am able to express a great deal of pride in my CPS West Mercia people for their efforts in organising this conference which was held at the Pear Tree Inn, Smite, today.  Particular thanks go to Lynda Jackson, our Community Engagement Manager for her determination and effort in making this conference actually happen.

The conference was aimed at raising awareness of disability, hate crime and CPS policy in prosecuting it.  Having considered this issue very carefully I believe that there is nowhere near enough focus placed on this type of offending by the criminal justice agencies and one of my aims in holding this conference was to try and create a focus for us, as well as others who might help those with disabilities or have a disability.  Too many people seem too accepting of the type of criminality that goes on here.

I opened the conference with a speech aimed at raising the issues and explaining the importance of recognising and understanding the nature of disability hate crime, as opposed to crimes committed against disabled people because they are in a vulnerable situation.

It is important to recognise disability hate crime for what it is because it is founded on prejudice and discrimination which ruin peoples lives and the communities they live in.  This type of hate crime is recognised as being particularly serious by legislation in that Section 146 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 provides that Courts must increase sentences when this type of offending takes place.

What is disability hate crime?  By Section 146 it is any offence which is motivated by hostility towards disability or any offence which at the time it is committed, the offender shows some hostility towards disability.

An example:-

A disabled woman in a wheelchair has her purse stolen by an opportunistic thief who is walking past.  This is theft but there is nothing to demonstrate hostility towards the victims disability at the time so Section 146 does not apply.

However, if at the time the offender takes the purse, he shouts you fing cripple, then there is evidence to show hostility towards the disability.  The case would be presented as such to the Court and, if the Court agreed, would increase sentence as a result.

Even if the offender did not use these words, but had a background of repeated thefts from people in wheelchairs, then the prosecutor would use that background to present to the Court evidence that the offender was motivated by hostility towards disability.

Our conference was very well attended, mostly by professionals with an interest in this field, but also by several people with disabilities, who we were delighted to see and speak to and very pleased that they felt able to contribute.

Through talking to people and through several events and visits over the last year, I have learned a great deal about disability issues and people with disabilities.  I learned more from our conference today and will continue to do my best to ensure that the issue of disability hate crime is more understood and acted upon by those of us who work in the criminal justice system.

I am very grateful to everyone who attended our conference.  I am placing a copy of my opening speech on our local website and there is a link to it below.

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by
e mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

Proceeds of Crime Thursday 5 March 2009

One aspect of the work of the prosecutor and the criminal justice system as a whole is our ability, once an offender has been convicted, to deprive him or her of the profits and benefits of the crime and their criminal behaviour going back over a number of years.

We can do this because of legislation called The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 which gives the power to confiscate the proceeds of crime from offenders, and in some circumstances restrain their assets whilst awaiting the criminal case to end.

This is very powerful legislation and as prosecutors we are determined to work closely with our police and court colleagues to ensure that it is used robustly and successfully wherever possible.

That is why, today, the CPS across the West Midlands region that is to say, West Mercia, West Midlands, Warwickshire and Staffordshire CPS and Police Force Areas held a conference in Birmingham to share good practice and ideas about how we might achieve this successfully and increase the ill-gotten gains of criminals that we seize back on behalf of the police.

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by
e mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

Our Communities Wednesday 25 February 2009

I meet with the senior managers in West Mercia once every month in a meeting which we call the CPS West Mercia Area Strategic Board or, simply, ASB.  I have made it our practice to invite external guests to finish each meeting and give us some insight into different local communities.

Today, we were able to welcome Jean Edwards and Janet Smith from the Woodside Estate in Telford.  Jean and Janet have lived on that estate for many years and, I believe, have seen it go through some good times and some bad.

More recently, thanks to the efforts and commitment of Jean and Janet, and others, the times have been more good than bad!  They have taken part in a Regeneration Project on the estate and have worked closely with the police and other partners through the Woodside Community Safety Initiative and have been very active, and productive members of the CSI Group Community Safety Initiative (and not crime scene investigator!).  They have also worked hard to see the new Park Lane Community Centre on the estate, developed and now fully up and running.

We were enthralled and delighted to hear of the efforts of Jean and Janet, and others like them.  They have clearly made a huge difference to the neighbourhood and community in which they live and should be very proud of what they have achieved.  Myself and my team were most interested in their perspective and very grateful to them for coming to talk to us.

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by
e mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

Worcester News Friday 20 February 2009

Interviewed by a delightful reporter from the Worcester News for a feature on the CPS and the public interest.

The public interest is really important to CPS prosecutors because in every case from motoring to murder referred to us by the Police, we must be satisfied that two tests are met before we can prosecute:-

• Evidential test is there enough evidence?
• Public interest test is it in the public interest to prosecute?

Watch this space or should I say the space in the Worcester News for more!

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by
e mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

Directors Visit Wednesday 11 February 2009

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is the Head of the Crown Prosecution Service and is accountable for the performance of the Service to the Attorney General who superintends what we do and who is, in turn, accountable in Parliament for us.  The DPP is in overall charge of the Service but works closely with the Chief Executive who runs the business side of the organisation, ie HR, finance, IT etc.

The way in which I, as Chief Crown Prosecutor (CCP) work in the CPS West Mercia Area, together with the Area Business Manager (ABM) mirrors the way the DPP and Chief Executive work at national level.  Ian Edmondson is the ABM for West Mercia.

Today, the DPP, Keir Starmer QC, and the Chief Executive, Peter Lewis, made a flying visit to our Droitwich Office to meet the people who work in West Mercia.  The DPP is still fairly new in this role and is using the opportunity of his first few months to meet as many CPS people as possible around the country.

The Director spent his morning here talking to a large number of our people about many of the issues in the CPS and the CJS.  I was particularly proud of the way that many spoke up about improvements they saw in the way that the criminal justice system as a whole could treat victims and witnesses better.

I was delighted to have the Director and Chief Executive visit us.  I hope they left with a good impression of the work we are doing here in West Mercia, which I believe they did.

Downside of the day for me, however, was arriving at work about 2 hours later (and therefore after the Director) because of a huge delay on the A46 and M40.  It would happen today!!

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by
e mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

CPS West Mercia Performance Monday 9 February 2009

The performance of CPS Areas is measured by how well we do against a number of key performance indicators.  Once every year, at least, each Area has a performance review with CPS Headquarters to discuss its performance and ensure that improvements are taking place.

Today, we had West Mercia's performance review with CPS HQ and, I am delighted to say, that all went well as our performance has improved over the 12 months that I have now been here.  Indeed, CPS West Mercia is one of only four or five Areas across the country that has an overall green rating.

I am really pleased and proud of the whole of my team in our offices in Hereford, Droitwich and Shrewsbury for the continued hard work, dedication and commitment they show to bringing offenders to justice and supporting victims and witnesses on the way.

Particularly pleasing for me was the overall green assessment we achieved for community engagement again only one of a few CPS Areas to achieve this.  This means we are genuinely listening to and taking action on the things that the diverse communities of West Mercia are telling us.  Thank you to anyone reading this who has contributed to the process and well done!

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by
e mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

More Snow! Friday 6 February 2009

Lots more snow here in Northampton where I live! I was due to play tennis last night but even the indoor centre where I play was closed!!

So I built a snowman instead! And called him Snowzle! Here he is (photographed before it started snowing again this morning):

Needless to say, I was snowed in again this morning. But doesn't it make the world look so wonderful! To the right is a photo of part of the village I live in.

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by e-mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

Snow and Hate Crime Monday 2 February 2009

I was due to go to London today for a meeting on Violence against Women, in which I'm Chairing a project to make sure that each CPS Area has a VAW co-ordinator, and a Hate Crime Co-ordinator, to make sure we are doing our best to improve what we do in these areas of our work.

I didn't make it because of the snow!

However, I thought it would be an opportunity to explain what we mean when we talk about VAW and Hate Crime:

Violence Against Women includes:

• Rape
• Other sexual offences
• Domestic Abuse

Hate Crime includes offences related to a person:

• Race
• Religion
• Sexual orientation
• Sexuality and gender identity
• Disability
• Age

The CPS has specific policies and policy documents on each of these subjects (except other sexual offences), which are all public documents, and available on our local website, and/or by getting in touch with us.

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by e-mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

Consultation on Code for Crown Prosecutors Friday 30 January 2009

The Code for Crown Prosecutors is the public document which sets out the main guidelines to prosecutors on how they must make decisions on whether or not to prosecute. Every prosecutor knows what is in it and uses it every day in every decision they make in every case. It is therefore a really important document, not only for those who have been victims or witnesses of crime, but also those who are investigated by the police and who are accused of crime. It is, therefore, a really important document for everyone in society because it talks about decisions which impact upon our freedom in society.

The Code has been in existence since the CPS was created in 1986, but every now and then it is updated to reflect new issues or new laws. Traditionally, the Code is reviewed and updated every time a new Director of Public Prosecutions takes over as head of the CPS, which has just happened, with Keir Starmer's arrival shortly before Christmas.

So, in line with this tradition, the Code is being reviewed, and yesterday opened that review for public consultation. The consultation document can be found on our CPS West Mercia local website under Local News and Views. I would really love to hear your views from the counties of West Mercia either by responding through the link below, or directly to the consultation document.

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by e-mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

Planning for next year Thursday 29 January 2009

I've just spent two days with the senior managers in the CPS West Mercia Area looking at our plans for next year. Next year for us means the financial year i.e., 1 April 2009 -31 March 2010. We consider it very important that we review what we have done over the past year, and plan for the year ahead.

I'll come back at a later time on what our plans are once we've had the chance to reflect upon our thinking, as well as discuss them with and consult our staff and our partners, which we will do over the next few weeks. High on our list of priorities are, however:

• Identifying gaps in the service we provide locally to victims and witnesses;
• Increasing the number of prosecutors we send to court to conduct trials in the Magistrates Courts and the Crown Court (instead of instructing the independent Bar);
• Working more pro-actively with the police to increase the amount of money we confiscate from criminals who have benefited from criminal activity.

In due course, once our planning has finished, we will publish it on our website, and invite comment from members of the public.

Message to the Gay Community Thursday 29 January 2009

I mentioned a short time ago my feelings about hate crime, and I was reminded of our Message to the Gay Community, which is available on the local CPS West Mercia website, in the Hate Crime section. Please have a look and comment if you wish as usual Id love to hear from you!

We developed this message as a result of two people from the gay community coming to talk to me and my senior managers two or three months ago about the issues affecting them and how they can be better handled by the criminal justice system.

This is something we now do every month at the monthly meeting of CPS West Mercia's senior managers we invite someone form the community (or a particular community) to come and share their experiences with us, and help us identify how we might improve the service we provide to the community as prosecutors as a result.

Success in Community Engagement Thursday 29 January 2009

We've had some good news today in that CPS West Mercia has now been assessed as a green Area in respect of community engagement, and is one of the first CPS Areas to have achieved this rating since the criteria was changed last year.

I consider this to be a huge success since the criteria is hard to meet. Success means that we are getting out and about, listening to our local communities, and responding to them and taking action to improve what we do as a result.

Success in this area of our work is really important to me and, indeed, one of my passions as a Chief Crown Prosecutor, because I believe that we should be a real part of our communities, known, acknowledged, trusted, and respected by them for the work we do in fighting crime, and fighting for justice. I know also that we've got a huge amount of work to do to get to this position, and that trust and respect is earned over a long period of time through high quality and professional work. I am committed and determined to make sure that we provide this across West Mercia, and to gain that trust and respect.

Engaging with the communities in West Mercia is not an easy task because of the geographical size of the Area, and because of the many different communities within that geography, not to mention different communities across it!

Indeed, not being a local person, I was particularly struck recently when I had a meeting with some of my staff when they said that West Mercia doesn't exist really except in the name of the police force, and the name of the CPS Area! West Mercia is actually the counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and Shropshire, and the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin.

It would be quite a task to name my organisation in a way that included all of these in it but if anyone wants to have a go then please do get in touch! In the meantime, we need to do some real thinking about how we make sure we identify ourselves as a local prosecution service to those who live in each part of West Mercia.

Anyway, we've done well in talking to our communities since I've been here, and I am delighted and very proud of the way that the people who work for me prosecutors, caseworkers, and administrative staff have responded to my stance on this, and I would like to use this as an opportunity to thank them for their efforts in this respect.

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by e-mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

Yes we can! Friday 23 January 2009

It's impossible to let this week go by without a mention of the events of Tuesday, when Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America. It's an absolutely amazing success story, not just for him as an individual, but for what and who he represents.  Let's hope that whatever he does, and however he does it, he contributes to greater peace and stability across the world and fewer needless deaths, whether caused by war, starvation, or disease.

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by e-mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

Justice Awards - Thursday 22 January 2009

Last night, as a member of West Mercia's Local Criminal Justice Board, I attended the Boards first ever Justice Award Ceremony at Police Headquarters near Worcester.

The Local Criminal Justice Board (which gets the usual shortened name of (youd never guess!) LCJB - is a Board or committee which is made up of the Chief Officers of the various criminal justice agencies in West Mercia. We meet regularly to discuss and make decisions together about the criminal justice system in West Mercia. The essence of the Board is that we work together and do so because we recognise that no one part of the criminal justice system can work effectively in isolation from the other parts. West Mercia's LCJB has as its aim and purpose:

'Working together to deliver justice and protect the people of West Mercia'

Nationally, each year, there is held a Justice Awards ceremony in which individuals and teams from all the criminal justice agencies across the whole country can be nominated and awarded for their contributions to criminal justice. In 2008, whilst there were a number of nominations from West Mercia, none were selected as winners, although in Sylvia Meyrick from Speakeasy (an advocacy service for people with learning disabilities) we did have a runner up. Congratulations to Sylvia for this fantastic achievement.

So, the West Mercia LCJB decided to present awards to the seven individuals, including Sylvia, who had been nominated in the national award scheme. These awards were therefore presented at an awards dinner, held last night, by the Chief Constable, Paul West, who is currently Chair of the Board.  As Deputy Chair, I was delighted to say a few words to welcome everyone to the event, and I also had the pleasure of reading out the citation for Sylvia before she collected her award from the Chair.

Details of the ceremony, and photographs of the award winners receiving their awards, are on the LCJB website. I dont feature in any of the photos, you may be pleased to know! Congratulations, however, to all those who received an award.

This was an excellent evening, enjoyed by all, and was a real celebration of how the various criminal justice agencies can, and do, work well together on a daily basis. Sometimes, on reading the papers, listening to the radio, or watching TV, you would think the criminal justice system is in crisis. A I said in my speech last night, those of us who are in the system know that every day, in West Mercia and across the country, there are many, many examples of successful work being done in the criminal justice system. It was a pleasure to be able to focus exclusively, for once, on those successes!

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by e-mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

Learning Disability - Tuesday 20 January 2009

Today, I attended my first meeting as Chair of the Worcestershire Learning Disabilities Partnership Hate Crime Steering Group. I became Chair because the previous Chair stood down and I was in the right place at the right time to volunteer, which I happily did.

I hate hate crime, by which I mean any crime or behaviour based upon discrimination or prejudice and as a prosecutor will do anything I can to stamp it out. I suspect that this may become a topic for regular comment on this blog, partly because I don't think that enough hate crime is reported to the police or other agencies, and therefore nothing ends up being done about it, and then the prejudice, discrimination and crime continues. This results in people not having the quality of life that they should have because they live in constant fear, insecurity or confusion. I am very passionate about this and it makes me very angry to think that people in this day and age suffer as a result of the prejudices of others.

This applies to different types of discrimination racial, religious, homophobic, transphobic, disability or against elderly people.

Today, the topic was learning disablilty and the hate crime group which I chaired today is very special because we have three experts on the group who are people with learning disabilities, and it was absolutely fantastic to have their input. In fact its wrong to say that I chaired the meeting because I actually co-chaired it with one of our expert members. I won't give the names of these three experts today because I didn't ask their permission to do so, but Ill do this when we next meet.

I learned an awful lot from today's meeting. In summary:

• we all agree learning disability is vastly under-reported 9 offences over the last 2 years;
• incidents can be reported at third party premises but this is not widely known to the professionals as well as those with learning disabilities;
• there is little awareness of what can amount to a criminal offence, which in itself inhibits reporting;
• those with learning disabilities are not sure that they can report or should report because they think they might get in trouble for doing this;
• nor do they think they will get support if they do report.

There were some very important and powerful messages that came from that meeting and we must now make sure we do something about them. I certainly intend to try!

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by e-mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

Burglary - Monday 19 January 2009

I forgot to mention on Saturday, the other bit of news that had caught my eye, and this is really important since it relates to the criminal justice system and confidence in it.

This week the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, issued further sentencing guidance in relation to burglars, and particularly those who steal sentimental and irreplaceable items such as photos and love letters, indicating that they should be given harsher sentences.  He also talked about the belief that our homes should be our castles and that we should be able to enjoy secure tranquillity in them and not be left to live in them full of fear and anxiety.

I've only seen the press report of this case and will await sight of the actual law report before considering it further, but it does appear to be guidance that should result in some stronger sentences been given for burglary.

Traditionally, as prosecutors, we have absolutely nothing to do with the sentencing process, although in recent years, we have become more and more involved in the sense that we can now (through the Attorney General) appeal against an unduly lenient sentence, make applications for orders at the time of sentence (for example anti-social behavior orders, compensation, football banning orders), and we play a major role in seeking the confiscation of an offenders assets following conviction for certain offences under the proceeds of crime legislation.

Traditionally, also, prosecutors cannot comment upon the sentence passed upon an offender, since the sentencing exercise is solely for the judiciary, i.e., the Judge or Magistrates. Whilst tempted occasionally, to break that tradition, I will not do so now!!

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by e-mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

Busy Week - Saturday 17 January 2009

I am writing a blog entry today because my beloved Cobblers (Northampton Town Football Club) played last night (lost 2 0 at Hartlepool) and Fulham (where I share season tickets with my son) are playing tomorrow. So, with a little time on my hands I thought I'd catch up on a busy week.

Actually, although it's been a really busy week, theres not much of tremendous interest to report to the outside world. I've only been to West Mercia once this week. That was on Thursday to attend the West Mercia Police Force Performance Group meeting, which I attend every month. I do this for a number of reasons, but primarily because it is the best opportunity for me to gain an overview of what is happening across the whole West Mercia Force Area, and therefore to be in the best position to ensure that my prosecutors can react and respond to the issues that arise.

The rest of the week I spent travelling up and down to London for various meetings, but I will spare you the detail regarding these.

The week has also been a busy week in the news apart from the local news about the Fairfield murder, about which I wrote yesterday. Theres so much that caught my eye, but of particular note was the Hero of the Hudson Captain Chesley B "Sully" Sullenberger III who landed his plane on the Hudson River in order to avoid another potential tragedy in Manhattan. It was a fantastic achievement and one for which he and don't forget his co-pilot are rightly described as heroes. But didn't he just have to have a name that is truly heroic too and with a number after it!!  But it wasn't just him! In the freezing weather, standing on the wing of the plane awaiting rescue, one of the passengers was given the shirt off his back by the co-pilot to help him keep warm! They are just real heroes these guys. Excellent stuff, for which I am full of admiration.

Sadly, John Mortimer and Patrick McGoohan passed away this week. Both have had their place in my life. Being a criminal lawyer, I always loved the Rumpole of the Bailey stories, and Leo McKerns portrayal on TV was excellent. I never understood The Prisoner but watched it always and even today have the complete set which I watch occasionally. I understand they're making a new version!

The other reason it's been busy this week is because I've (very unusually for me) squeezed in two visits to the cinema The Reader and Slumdog Millionaire. Two entirely different films but both utterly absorbing and both worthy of all the plaudits they are currently getting. I have my own marking system for films and both scored highly with 11/10 for Reader and 9/10 for Slumdog.

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by e-mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

Fairfield Murder - Friday 16 January 2009

Today, four men were charged with the murder of Craig Hodson-Walker (aged 29) who was killed at the post office he ran with his family in Fairfield, Worcestershire. The men were also charged with the attempted murder of Mr Hodson-Walkers family, and with robbery.

There has been a great deal of press coverage about this matter since it happened last Friday whilst the Police have been pursuing their investigation. The responsibility for making the decision to charge people with criminal offences passed to the Crown Prosecution Service following the Criminal Justice Act 2003, and the decision to charge in this case was made by Peter Tooke, Special Casework Lawyer, who I asked to work with the police investigators at the beginning of the week, and has been doing so all week. It was therefore Peter who joined the police and made the announcement to the media that the Defendants had been charged.

You may not appreciate it but the press, and indeed anyone else - including myself must be very careful about what it said or reported about any case that is, or might, come before the criminal courts in England and Wales, so as to avoid any potential prejudice to the trial itself. The risk is that a juror might be improperly influenced by information or knowledge gained other than the evidence that they hear in court. The American justice system appears to have a totally different approach, but in this country we are very strict about this rule, and that is why you will hear very little now about this case from the media or me until the case comes to trial.

I do, however, take this opportunity if expressing my sympathies to the Hodson-Walker family for their loss.

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by e-mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

Back to Work - Tuesday 6 January 2009

My first meetings of the year take place today and for the rest of the week. I have some really important subjects to discuss, mainly this week with police colleagues.

Today, I'm meeting the Assistant Chief Constable to discuss how we can continue to improve our performance on making sure that in appropriate cases, when offenders are convicted, we as prosecutors (supported by evidence provided by police financial investigators), make an application to the court to make them repay monies they have gained as a result of their criminal activity, or serve additional time in prison if they don't.

This means effectively that criminals have to dispose of the assets they have purchased from their ill-gotten gains, such as a house or a car, in order to satisfy the terms of the confiscation order made by the Court.

All this is possible because of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, and both we here in CPS West Mercia and the West Mercia police are determined to do as much as we can to ensure that this legislation is used to its fullest extent in order to hit criminals in the pocket where possible but also to deter people from committing crime knowing that if they get caught they will not only be punished but will lose everything they gained from their criminal activity.

Tomorrow, I have a workshop on the Streamlined Process! I won't bore you with the details but this is about the way in which the police present a prosecution file to us after they have investigated a case. We are totally supportive of any moves to ensure that police officers spend as little time as possible on paperwork and as much time as possible fulfilling their other duties. This new process will enable the police to continue to give my prosecutors quality information but do so in a way which is more proportionate to the nature of the case they are dealing with, and thus spend less time in doing so. It's another good example of how the CPS and the police here in West Mercia and across the country work together as a prosecution team to ensure successful and efficient prosecutions.

On Thursday, I'm visiting our office in Shrewsbury to catch up with our people there. Our Shrewsbury office is responsible for all cases that arise in Shropshire and Telford, and I look forward to seeing everyone there for the first time this year. I will also be presenting another CCP Certificate of Recognition to a member of the team there, but can't say who it is at this stage!

Finally, on Friday I have meetings with the police again to discuss how we maintain and improve our joint performance in relation to the prosecution of serious violent and serious sexual offences, including rape. We have done a great deal of work locally with the police in the last year to improve our performance in rape cases, and that effort is beginning to bear fruit. It is important that we continue to build upon that work and ensure that we do everything we possibly can to support victims of this horrific offence and ensure that offenders are brought to justice.

And then, the first weekend of the year!

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by emailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.

Happy New Year! Monday 5 January 2009

My first Blog entry of 2009 and an opportunity to wish you all a very happy, peaceful, and successful 2009!

Like many, this is my first week back to work after a prolonged spell away which started on Christmas Eve. A short pause here to recognise and thank all those who worked over the Christmas and New Year Break. This includes my own people, and others who kept the criminal justice system working over the holiday period, but also all those in the public services who are required to maintain a 24/7/365 service to protect us and look after us police, fire service, doctors, nurses, hospitals, armed forces etc.

I've had an excellent Christmas having spent most of it with my partner Karen and her daughter Immy, seeing my boys Jonny and Chris (men really but still boys to me!) and their girlfriends, Laura and Nikki, and seeing the New Year in with them in Trafalgar Square with fireworks and a bottle of champagne. Then, a trip to the cold north-east to see my mum and dad, and my sister and her family. I visited my niece, Suzanne, but didn't make it to my nephew, Edward. Edward I'll see you next time so make sure your flat is tidy!!

Whilst up north, I went to see the Yoko Ono exhibition at the Baltic Centre next to the Gosforth Millenium Bridge. The exhibition is entitled Between the Sky and My Head and is really thought provoking. One particular exhibit made a real connection with the work I do as a prosecutor. It was three mounds of earth next to each other on the floor. Each one had just a small piece of paper on it dedicating it to: women who had suffered from domestic abuse; women who had been sent to the madhouse; and women who had suffered from elderly abuse.

The first and last are something we as prosecutors really want to influence and we have policies on both, which you can find by looking on our local website. I have already written about the conference we held here in West Mercia on the topic of elderly abuse last year, and I will turn again to the subject of our Violence Against Women (VAW) strategy at some time in the future. I can say now, however, that as a CPS, both nationally and locally here in West Mercia, we are improving performance in the number of successful prosecutions we achieve, and we hope that this will give anyone who suffers from abuse some greater confidence, strength and resolve to report what is happening to them, in the knowledge that we, and all the other agencies are committed to providing the support and care they need.

Please let me have your comments on this, or any other aspect of CPS West Mercia's work by e-mailing me at: WestMercia.Comments@cps.gsi.gov.uk.