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 sent a vile and abusive email to MP Angela Rayner following the publication of a national newspaper article about the politician has been fined. In October, David Perry, 66, pleaded guilty to a charge of sending grossly offensive communication to the MP in May last year.In the email,…
Seven people have been jailed after an organised fraud which saw public donations worth hundreds of thousands of pounds stolen from life-saving charities.Led by David Levi, 47 from Lytham St Annes, the criminal group collected money from the public under the guise that it would all be handed over…
Two teenagers who plotted together to commit a murder have been convicted of killing a 16-year-old girl in a park in Cheshire.The boy and girl, who can’t be named because of their age and were referred to in court as Girl X and Boy Y, spent months plotting to kill someone and had a list of several…
A convicted killer who struck again by bludgeoning his elderly neighbour to death while out on life licence, has been given a whole life sentence for her murder.Lawrence Bierton, 63, attacked 73-year-old Pauline Quinn with a wooden coffee table in her own home after gaining entry through the back…
Two men who pretended to be police officers and preyed on elderly victims in a fraud involving more than £400,000 were imprisoned today (Tuesday 19 December 2023).Mohammed Zaman Ahmed, 26, and Kawsar Ahmed, 25, were sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court to three years and eight months and four years…
More than 200 people who were conned into buying useless investments have received payouts from the money recovered from the fraudster.The 222 victims of Paul Seakens, 62, have been given a share of the £1,037,948 that prosecutors from the Crown Prosecution Service helped recover after he was…
Press ReleaseProceeds of crimeFraud and economic crimeCPS
Two men, whose conspiracy to smuggle drugs and cigarettes into the UK was foiled after a farmer accidentally spotted a consignment of cocaine, have been handed lengthy prison sentences today.
The scheme involved the pair using their freight company as a cover to clear shipping containers that…
Press ReleaseInternational and organised crimeDrug offencesFraud and economic crimeCPS
A yard manager has been jailed for seven-and-half years and a company fined £400,000 after an employee was killed in an industrial shredder.
Brian Timmins, 54, was previously convicted of gross negligence manslaughter following the death of labourer David Willis at Timmins Waste Services in…
A sex offender who assaulted a teenage girl after stealing her phone from her has been jailed for two more years.
The CPS prosecuted Ishtiaq Khaliq, 40, after an investigation by officers from the National Crime Agency’s Operation Stovewood, which is looking into allegations of non-familial…
Press ReleaseSexual offencesInternational and organised crimeCPS
20/12/2023:Darren Osment has today been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 20 years at Bristol Crown Court.Ben Samples, Senior District Crown Prosecutor for CPS South West, said: "This has been a tragic case from start to finish. My immediate thoughts must go to Claire’s family for having to…
Press ReleaseViolent crimeCPSSouth West
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.
