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 man who made arrangements to travel abroad and pay to rape children as young as six, and helped others to do the same, has been convicted. The Crown Prosecution Service’s dedicated Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit prosecuted Edward Gratwick, 68, following an investigation by the National…
The Crown Prosecution Service has today announced Tim Westwood has been charged with rape and sexual offences.Westwood, 68, of Westminster, has been charged with:Nine counts of indecent assaultTwo counts of sexual assaultFour counts of rapeThese relate to reported non-recent offences between 1983…
A dark web user has been imprisoned today for engaging in a variety of child sexual abuse acts which degraded victims.Robert Chown, 48, pleaded guilty to 41 counts of offences ranging from causing or inciting children to engage in sexual activity to downloading and accessing child sexual abuse…
Eight men have been sentenced for their role in the sexual exploitation of a vulnerable child in Bradford more than 20 years ago. The Crown Prosecution Service’s dedicated Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit prosecuted the defendants following an investigation by West Yorkshire Police. …
Seven men have been sentenced for their role in the sexual abuse of two vulnerable children in Rochdale. The Crown Prosecution Service’s dedicated Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit prosecuted Mohammed Zahid, 64, Mushtaq Ahmed, 66, Kasir Bashir, 50, Roheez Khan, 39, Mohammed Shahzad, 43, Nisar…
Five money launderers have been sentenced/jailed for exploiting victims including through a so-called ‘romance’ fraud worth £2.37 million.Fawaz Ali, 27, Ebenezer Tackie, 42, Michael Quartey, 28, were found guilty of money laundering offences after trial and sentenced to four years and 10 months…
A former maths teacher has been sentenced for the sexual abuse of numerous girls and multiple child sexual abuses of young girls.Syed Shahreear Ahmed, 36, has been found guilty of 21 criminal charges including, grooming, sexual activity with a child, taking and making indecent images of a child,…
Two men have been given lengthy prison sentences today for importing and selling military-grade weapons to UK-based organised crime groups (OCGs) after an investigation by the National Crime Agency. The Crown Prosecution Service prosecuted Philip Waugh and Robert Brazendale for importing…
Paul Flowers, former Co-Operative Bank Chairman, Labour councillor in Rochdale and Bradford, and Methodist minister stole from his friend Margaret Jarvis whilst she battled Alzheimer’s. On her death he continued to steal from her estate, abusing his position as executor of her will.Over…
A report about prosecutions using joint enterprise laws in homicide and attempted homicide cases in England and Wales has today been published.Under the laws set by Parliament, if a person assists or encourages another to commit a homicide or attempted homicide offence, with the relevant intent for…
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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.
