Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division

Welcome from the Head of Division

I am Sue Hemming, the Head of the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division and I would like to welcome you to our webpage.

This division was set up on 4 April 2011 and merges the formerly separate Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Divisions. The new division will continue the work of promoting excellence and will increase the resilience and efficiency in these very important and high profile areas of our work.

The division is divided into four operational units, each headed by a Deputy Head of Division: Appeals - Deputy, Angela Deal; Counter Terrorism - Deputy, Deb Walsh; Extradition - Deputy, Nick Vamos; and Special Crime - Deputy, Malcolm McHaffie.

We are seen as a centre of excellence and a place where lawyers and paralegal staff aspire to work, which is renowned for the quality of its prosecution advice. We are keen that all our lawyers are publicly accountable for the prosecuting decisions they make and encourage them to explain their decisions publicly.

Due to the high profile nature of the cases dealt with by the division, its lawyers have regular contact with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Keir Starmer QC, to update him on their work.

Because of the nature of many of the cases that we deal with we understand that there is considerable public interest in how cases are handled and through these pages and our public documents we aim to share information and provide transparency and accountability.

All of our prosecutors have spent many years working as criminal lawyers to ensure they have the necessary experience and expertise to deal with the demands of the casework.

Introduction to the Appeals Unit

The Appeals Unit was established in June 2010 to provide a specialist service to the three most senior appellate courts in England and Wales - the Court of Appeal, the Administrative Court and the Supreme Court.

The unit:

• conducts judicial reviews and case stated appeals in the Administrative Court in which the CPS is named as party, including judicial reviews of decisions made by local CPS Areas to prosecute or not to prosecute a case
• conducts of the majority of appeals against conviction and sentence in the Court of Appeal, and
• supports the Attorney General's Office in the administration of Unduly Lenient Sentence appeals.

The cases dealt with before the Court of Appeal, the Administrative Court and the Supreme Court involve the practice of specialist civil as well as criminal law and procedure. They are often of high public profile or sensitivity and their outcomes frequently have an impact upon the development of case law and the wider criminal justice system as well as on the lives of the individuals directly involved.

In addition to conducting the full range of appellate court cases, the unit provides a central point of contact for the courts and other criminal justice agencies on appellate court matters concerning the CPS. It also takes a proactive approach towards identifying cases with national legal or policy implications in order to help develop and clarify criminal case law.

The unit has worked on a number of complex and challenging cases including the Criminal Cases Review Commission referral of Kenneth Noye's conviction to the Court of Appeal, cases related to the question of assisted suicide and the Assange extradition appeal to the Supreme Court.

Top of page

Introduction to Counter Terrorism

The Counter Terrorism Division was set up primarily to deal with prosecuting terrorism cases which had been rapidly increasing in terms of size and complexity over the previous few years.

Terrorism still makes up the majority of our work but, as similar skills are required to handle such work, we also deal with all allegations of:

• incitement to racial and religious hatred
• stirring up hatred based on sexual orientation
• war crimes and crimes against humanity
• official secrets cases and
• piracy and hijacking.

Cases against those suspected of terrorism are dealt with in the same way as any other criminal case. All decisions are made in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors and a prosecutor needs to have sufficient evidence to afford a realistic prospect of a conviction before he or she can go on to consider the public interest.

More information about us can be found in the HMCPSI Report published on 16 April 2009 (link opens in a new window). Following publication of the report, we were awarded the Attorney General's award for Excellence and in 2010 we were awarded a Special Achievement Award by the International Association of Prosecutors.

Top of page

Introduction to the Extradition Unit

The Extradition Unit is based in London. It deals with all proceedings in Westminster Magistrates' Court or the High Court arising from requests by other countries for the return of persons currently resident in England and Wales to stand trial or serve sentences abroad (so-called "export" jurisdiction).

If the request comes from a member of the European Union or from Gibraltar ("category 1 territories") it is dealt with under the simplified European Arrest Warrant (EAW) system. Requests from non-EU countries ("category 2 territories") are made in accordance with the relevant bilateral or multilateral extradition agreement. In all export extradition cases, Extradition Unit prosecutors represent the requesting government, in accordance with the DPP's statutory extradition functions.

In addition, the Extradition Unit deals on behalf of CPS Areas with requests to non-EAW countries for "import" extradition (i.e. requests for the return of persons living in category 2 territories to be prosecuted or to serve sentences in England and Wales). Central Casework Divisions deal with all their own import requests.

Top of page

Introduction to Special Crime

Special Crime has offices in York and London from which the lawyers advise on and, where appropriate, prosecute some of the most sensitive and demanding cases across the country. They provide advice to investigating bodies such as the police, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

The casework includes:

• deaths in custody
• assisted suicides and euthanasia
• serious allegations against police officers
• corporate manslaughter including disasters
• gross negligence medical manslaughter
• serious public corruption
• election offences
• cases involving high profile individuals such as MPs
• CPS and Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) employees and
• leaks by public officials to journalists

Cases should be referred to Special Crime when certain criteria are met. These are set out below, under 'Referral Criteria'.

The needs of victims and witnesses are a priority for us and it is now our practice, in appropriate cases, to invite victims or their families to meetings so we can update them on the progress of their cases and, once a decision is made, to explain its basis and answer any questions they may have.

Top of page

Press releases related to Appeals

Press releases related to Counter Terrorism

Top of page

Press releases related to Special Crime

Top of page

Case Updates

Top of page