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 PhD student at the University College London has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of 10 women.Zhenhao Zou, 28, was found guilty of 28 offences which included 11 counts of rape as well as three counts of voyeurism, 10 counts of possession of extreme pornographic images, one of…
A man has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering two women and trying to kill two other people in a frenzied attack on Christmas Day.On the evening of 25 December 2024, Jazwell Brown was at home in Milton Keynes when he picked up a kitchen knife and began stabbing his partner, 38-year-old…
Congratulations to Hannah Sidaway, Elizabeth Swift and Pari Patel, who have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours list for their exceptional contributions to law and order.Hannah is to receive an OBE, while Elizabeth and Pari will each receive an MBE. Full details of the different kinds of…
A former GCHQ intern has been jailed after he copied top secret data files onto his mobile phone and took them home.Computer science student Hasaan Arshad, 25, pleaded guilty to one offence of doing an unauthorised act to a computer, creating significant risk of serious damage to national security…
A man who stabbed a police officer and attempted to set fire to a police station has been jailed for life with a minimum of 22 years after it was found the incident was connected to terrorism.Alexander Dighton, 28, admitted 11 offences relating to a violent attack at Talbot Green Police station in…
Seven men have been convicted for their role in the systematic abuse of vulnerable children in Rochdale. The Crown Prosecution Service prosecuted Mohammed Zahid, 64, Mushtaq Ahmed, 66, Kasir Bashir, 50, Roheez Khan, 39, Mohammed Shahzad, 43, Nisar Hussain, 41, and Naheem Akram, 48,…
Two men who stole an 18-carat gold toilet from Blenheim Palace in an audacious five-minute raid in 2019 have been sentenced.Forty-year-old James Sheen, a career criminal who masterminded the theft, received a four year prison sentence at Oxford Crown Court today.Michael Jones, 39, who carried out…
A drug dealing nephew has been found guilty of murdering and kidnapping his uncle over stolen money as well as for drug trafficking offences.Tahir Syed, 42, has been convicted (9 June 2025) for murder, and conspiracy to kidnap at Leeds Crown Court and connected drug supply offences. Syed had…
Lawyers seeking to return to criminal practice following a career break will be given the opportunity to ease back into the workforce under a new Crown Prosecution Service scheme.The second phase of Go Prosecute has launched today – an initiative by the Crown Prosecution Service to provide support…
A plastic surgeon has been jailed for life for the attempted murder of a senior colleague, despite his attempts to to frustrate the legal process.!n the middle of the night of 14 January 2021, Peter Brooks, 61, cycled from his house in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, to the home of Graeme Perks,…
Press ReleaseViolent crimeCPSEast Midlands
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.
