CPS News Centre

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 have created an agreement: the Media Protocol: Working together to support open justice.

Showing 1 - 10 of 63 results for area "Wessex"

Date format: mm/dd/yyyy
Date format: mm/dd/yyyy

Fake French tourists jailed for smuggling migrants to UK

Three men and three women from France who pretended to be tourists were jailed today (Friday 27 February) after they were caught in a convoy of cars bringing three Vietnamese nationals into the UK.
Press Release International and organised crime CPS Wessex
Musafar Hotak custody image

Rapist who targeted woman after she left nightclub is sentenced after he blamed family member for the attack

A man who raped a woman after she left a Southampton nightclub has today been sentenced for his horrific crimes – after trying to blame his actions on a family member.
Press Release Sexual offences CPS Wessex

Funeral directors sentenced after robbing families of chance to say goodbye with dignity

Two fraudulent funeral directors have been sentenced today after storing bodies in unrefrigerated conditions and denying families lawful burials.
Press Release CPS Wessex

Man jailed after befriending women on dating apps to sexually abuse children

A man who befriended women online to take part in sexual abuse against children has been sentenced to 26 years in prison.Elliot Jones, 49, of Norfolk, previously pleaded guilty to 21 offences including sexual activity with children.He also encouraged the women, from different parts of the country,…
Press Release Sexual offences Wessex

Man admits raping and drugging wife over 13-year period

Philip Young, 49, appeared at Winchester Crown Court and pleaded guilty to 48 serious sexual offences committed against his former wife.
Press Release Sexual offences CPS Wessex

Pair jailed after using cars to hunt, kill and injure victims

A woman and a man have today been jailed after a motorcyclist was killed and two others critically injured in separate incidents where vehicles were deliberately used as weapons during a long-running feud.
Press Release Violent crime CPS Wessex

Man jailed for stabbing man nine times in brazen street attack

A man has been sentenced to eight years' imprisonment after stabbing a man who was protecting his girlfriend after she was punched in the face in a street attack.
Press Release Violent crime Wessex

Six men charged with more than 60 sexual offences against woman over a 13-year period

This is a joint Wiltshire Police/CPS press release Six men have been charged with more than 60 sexual offences against one woman over a 13-year period.Philip Young, 49, formerly from Swindon but now living in Enfield, has been charged with 56 sexual offences, including multiple counts of…
Press Release Sexual offences CPS Wessex

Fraudulent funeral directors found guilty of denying families lawful burials

Families were denied the dignity of proper care for their deceased loved ones after two funeral directors stored bodies in unrefrigerated conditions.Richard Elkin, 49, and Hayley Bell, 42, were convicted today following the discovery in December 2023 of serious failings at their Gosport funeral…
Press Release CPS Wessex

Convicted rapist jailed for further attacks against women

A man who had previously been convicted of a sex attack has today been jailed for further attacks on three more women.Bruno Sala, 39, previously of Havant, Portsmouth, formed relationships with each of the women between 2019 to 2020, before setting them up to be raped and abused by himself and…
Press Release Sexual offences Violent crime Wessex

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.

Follow us on X: @cpsuk, Instagram: @crownprosecutors and LinkedIn.

The Crown Prosecution Service on social media

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.

Read the current protocol

Sign up for a regular newsletter from your local CPS Area

Receive regular newsletters from your local CPS area.

Sign up now

Blogs

Learn more about the CPS and read more of our stories on our blog.

Blogs