Criminal cases that the Crown Prosecution Service take to court are in the news every day. This section also covers many issues related to our work, including violence against women and girls, hate crime, support for victims and witnesses, statistics, and speeches by the Director of Public Prosecutions and other senior staff.
Latest news
You can find our latest news stories here and search for older stories. You can also find more information about high-profile cases and the work of the CPS.
Working with the media
To make criminal court reporting more open, the CPS, police, and media representatives created a joint protocol (agreement) for working together. We are currently working on an updated version of the protocol.
An escaped prisoner who planned to set off an explosive device at a Blackpool bank after watching a Netflix documentary will face further jail time.On 26 November 2020 Lancashire Police officers conducted a welfare check on Alan Murphy, 62, who was living in a campervan in Blackpool.Murphy…
Updated on 22 August 2024: On 21 August 2024 at Liverpool Crown Court, Luke Moran was jailed for three years. This release was originally published on 15 August 2024.A man has admitted battering a police vehicle, leaving officers trapped inside and fearing for their lives, as part of riots in…
Stephen Parkinson, Director of Public Prosecutions, wrote in a piece for The Times about the need for swift justice in all criminal cases. He explained the process by which we can charge cases of violent disorder quickly, and why the other case types take deeper, specialist work to build a case and…
Gale Gilchrist, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS North East, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised a charge of riot against Kieran Usher, 32, in relation to disorder that took place in Sunderland on 2 August.“This defendant is one of a number of individuals who we expect will be charged…
Rosemary Ainslie, Acting Head of the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the Metropolitan Police Service’s Counter Terrorism Command to charge two people with terrorism offences over an alleged plan to carry out…
A thug has been jailed today for violent disorder during a riot on 31 July in Manchester.Paul Smith, 21, has been sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to violent disorder at Manchester Square Crown Court. The court also imposed a seven-year criminal behaviour order…
A man who shouted at police officers and chanted to a mob at the Holiday Inn Rotherham has been sentenced after pleading guilty to violent disorder.Michael Whitehead (27) shouted ‘You’re not fit to wear the badge’ at police officers and chanted to the mob ‘Let’s go fxxxxxx mental, Let’s go…
Press ReleaseViolent crimeCPSYorkshire and Humberside
A former limousine driver who systematically groomed and abused young girls in the Rotherham area over a decade, has today been jailed. The CPS prosecuted David Saynor, as part of Operation Stovewood, a major investigation into non-familial child sexual abuse and exploitation which took place…
Gale Gilchrist, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS North East, said: “Following a review of further evidence, the Crown Prosecution Service has today laid a charge of riot in relation to a 15-year-old boy, following disorder that took place in Sunderland on August 2.“This is the first such charge to be…
A man whose vile abuse of a bus driver was widely shared on social media has been jailed.Michael Mongan, 39, unleashed a tirade of religiously-aggravated abuse and spat at the driver after being denied entry when his payment card was declined.The incident, which took place on August 7 in Hayes, saw…
Press ReleaseHate crimeViolent crimeCPSLondon North
Press Office contact details
Please note that our Press Office is NOT able to deal with issues or queries from members of the public - these contact details are for accredited journalists ONLY. Do not call this number unless you a member of the press. For all general enquiries, please visit contact.cps.gov.uk.
If you are a national or international journalist with a media enquiry, you can contact the CPS Press Office on 020 3357 0906 or email [email protected] (9am-5pm weekdays only).
For out-of-hours media enquiries please call 020 3357 0906 to reach the duty press officer.
If you follow us on social media, you can expect posts covering some or all of the following:
Operational updates on decisions to prosecute or take no further action;
Reactions and statements on trial outcomes;
Policy updates from the Director of Public Prosecutions and other prosecutors;
Updates on media appearances by CPS staff
Content that explains the role of the CPS and how we work
Highlighting of relevant work by our criminal justice partners and other stakeholders
We will aim to be fair and accurate in all the information we publish. We will aim to correct any inaccuracies as soon as possible.
We are unable to monitor social media round the clock. We are not able to engage with all those who seek a response from us due to resources but also due to privacy and the sensitive nature of some of our work. The best way to contact the CPS is through our website.
Please do not try to report crime using social media. To report crime, please call 101 or visit your local police station. In an emergency, always call 999.
If you follow us on social media we will not automatically follow you back. Being followed by us does not imply endorsement of any kind.
Media protocol
To ensure greater openness in the reporting of criminal proceedings, the CPS, the police and media representatives developed a joint protocol for working together. We are currently in the process of updating the protocol.
