eBay seller pleads guilty to illegally trading endangered animal skulls

When officers visited his home, he showed off his vast collection of more than 50 specimens including a taxidermied rhino head, skulls of primates and gorillas, a dolphin skull, rare turtle shells - and a cabinet of human skulls.

Gunn, left, caught on CCTV visiting the shop twice (centre) before the day of the murder (right)

Drug addict convicted of murdering Pinner newsagent

Alex Gunn, 31, has been convicted of robbing and murdering a newsagent in Pinner as he sorted the weekend newspapers early in the morning. CCTV (above) showed him visiting the shop twice (centre) in the weeks before the day he murdered father-of-two Ravi Katharkamar (right).

Room where man was held, handcuffs on radiator, victim's t-shirt

Kidnappers jailed after holding man hostage

Sochi Ezeemo and Peter Shodeinde, both 27, who handcuffed another man to a radiator for over 24 hours have been jailed for fifteen and five years respectively at Cardiff Crown Court.

Annual Violence against Women and Girls report published

Latest figures on prosecutions involving Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) have been released by the Crown Prosecution Service.

How cases are prosecuted in the CPS: From charge to conviction - a case study

The CPS prosecuted 533,161 cases last year. Here, see how we prosecuted a man for murder from the first phone call through to conviction

Your local CPS

The CPS operates across England and Wales, with 14 regional teams prosecuting cases locally.

Each of these 14 CPS Areas is headed by a Chief Crown Prosecutor, and works closely with local police forces and other criminal justice partners.

Find out who’s who in your area, and read more about local cases.

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The Crown Prosecution Service

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutes criminal cases that have been investigated by the police and other investigative organisations in England and Wales. The CPS is independent, and we make our decisions independently of the police and government.

Our duty is to make sure that the right person is prosecuted for the right offence, and to bring offenders to justice wherever possible.

The CPS:

decides which cases should be prosecuted;
determines the appropriate charges in more serious or complex cases, and advises the police during the early stages of investigations;
prepares cases and presents them at court; and
provides information, assistance and support to victims and prosecution witnesses.

Prosecutors must be fair, objective and independent. When deciding whether to prosecute a criminal case, our lawyers must follow the Code for Crown Prosecutors. This means that to charge someone with a criminal offence, prosecutors must be satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction, and that prosecuting is in the public interest.

Crime info

We prosecute people for hundreds of different types of crime every year. This section gives an introduction to some of the categories of offending that we are asked about most often.

Victims & witnesses

Being a victim or a witness to a crime is not easy, but with your help, we work hard to bring offenders to justice. Throughout the justice process we will support you and treat you with dignity.

From reporting the crime to passing sentence we explain what happens, the role of the CPS and what you can expect from us.

Support for victims & witnesses

Prosecution guidance

This guidance assists our prosecutors when they are making decisions about cases. It is regularly updated to reflect changes in law and practice.

View all prosecution guidance