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.
Showing 121 - 130 of 133 results for crime type "Sexual offences" & area "CPS"
An ambitious package of measures to make sure offenders of sexual violence are brought to justice and victims of these devastating crimes are properly supported has been published by the CPS today.
The five-year blueprint, named RASSO 2025, will help CPS to understand and reduce the gap between…
HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) has today published the findings of its inspection into the CPS prosecution of rape cases. This will contribute to the Government’s comprehensive, end-to-end review of how rape and sexual violence cases are handled across the criminal justice…
We have not changed our policy on charging rape, or any other sexual crime. Whenever the legal test is met, our dedicated prosecutors will bring charges at the most serious level they can, no matter how challenging the case.
Every decision is, and always has been, taken in the same way,…
Latest figures on prosecutions involving Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) have been released today by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
The VAWG report covers a broad range of offences including domestic abuse, rape, stalking and so-called honour-based abuse. Figures for 2018-19 show a…
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and College of Policing have invited concerned organisations and individuals to help shape new processes to bring consistency to the way investigators search for relevant information on the digital devices of complainants…
Speech by Max Hill QC, Director of Public Prosecutions, to the Heads of Prosecuting Agencies Conference in Uganda, 15-17 April 2019
Good morning. It is my pleasure to join you, at my first HOPAC Conference since becoming Director last November. I look forward to productive and friendly…
SpeechSexual offencesYouth crimeInternational and organised crimeViolent crimeCPS
Paedophiles who think they are grooming a child for sex, but are actually communicating with an adult, will now face tougher charges.
Would-be abusers caught in undercover operations are to be prosecuted in every case for the same offence as those who meet real-life victims under new CPS…
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has today (5 June) published the outcome of its review of rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) cases.
In January the CPS announced its senior prosecutors were assessing all cases in England and Wales in which someone had been charged with rape or serious…
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) are today, Tuesday, 30 January, publishing the findings of the joint review carried out into the disclosure failures in the case of R vs Allan, which was dropped at trial in December 2017.
The joint review focused on the…
More defendants than ever before are being prosecuted and convicted for sexual offences across England and Wales, new figures reveal today.
The Crown Prosecution Service's 10th Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) report outlines the huge increases in convictions for rape (48%) and other…
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.
