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.
A British video gamer who faked a hostage situation in a telephone call to U.S authorities that resulted in a man being left with life-changing injuries has been sentenced.Robert Walker-McDaid, 28, of Coventry, claimed he had plastic explosives and hostages when he called a Maryland terrorism…
A man who sent suspicious packages containing white powder to schools, retail outlets and shopping centres has been jailed.In 2013, Gary Preston, from Haverhill, Suffolk, sent written threats to various educational and business establishments, and in some cases suggested the white powder was deadly…
Prosecutors charged 10 per cent more hate crime cases in the final three months of 2023, statistics out today (April 18) show.Figures from the Crown Prosecution Service’s Quarter 3 (October-December 2023) data release show there was a 9.5 per cent increase in charges for hate crime flagged cases…
A man who set alight two elderly worshippers as they left mosques in London and Birmingham has been sentenced to a hospital order - and cannot be released without the approval of the Secretary of State. Mohammed Abbkr, 29, of Edgbaston, Birmingham, was previously found guilty of attempting to…
A landlady who was jailed for keeping a vulnerable woman in domestic servitude has had to sell a property to pay the victim back almost £200,000. Farzana Kausar, formerly of Worthing, was jailed for six years and eight months on 21 December 2022 at Lewes Crown Court after she was found guilty…
An Everton supporter has been sentenced for tragedy chanting after making gestures at Manchester United fans, mocking the Munich air disaster.Mark Finnigan, 24, was at Old Trafford football stadium on 9 March 2024 watching the two teams play a Premier League game when Man United were awarded a…
Three men have today been jailed for their involvement in a drug enterprise which saw the large scale selling of drugs on the dark web and their onward transmission via post in disguised packaging.Joe McNally, 33, Robert Brewster, 55, and Benjamin Martin-Bynoe, 34, were sentenced at Reading Crown…
Press ReleaseInternational and organised crimeDrug offencesCPS
A police officer who had sex with a woman after responding to a 999 call at her home has been jailed. Jordan Masterson, 28, was a serving officer with Cheshire Constabulary when he was called to the woman’s home in December 2021.Two PCs had previously visited the woman’s home after her initial…
Today at Chelmsford Crown Court, a Confiscation Order of £22,305 was given to Stephen Bear, to retrieve the ill-gotten gains he accumulated from publishing explicit content to a subscription site without the consent of those involved. The judge has ordered that the victim, Georgia Harrison, be…
A property tycoon has been given a sentence of 12 years' imprisonment after having been found guilty of a £3.5 million fraud over claims he sold houseboats on a stretch of the river Thames that could not be lived in.Myck Djurberg (64) was convicted at Kingston Crown Court for fraudulently selling…
Press ReleaseFraud and economic crimeCPS
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.
