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.
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…
A rogue trader has been jailed defrauding elderly homeowners out of thousands of pounds in Hampshire.Henry Smith, 36, of Southampton Road, Titchfield, turned up at the homes of two elderly men between October 2022 and February 2023 before entrapping them in his scam.On the first occasion, Smith…
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…
A man has today been jailed for a minimum of 22 years following the murder of his wife’s 78-year-old grandmother, committed in a rage after she refused his demands for money.Adam Wright, 39, of Bishop's Waltham, was sentenced today (27 November 2025) after he pleaded guilty to the murder of June…
New measures to upskill prosecutors in the Wessex to better recognise patterns of domestic abuse and its impact on victims have been announced today as part of the Crown Prosecution Service’s rollout of its five-year Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy.The new strategy, which will…
Martin Suter, 68, of Portsmouth Road in Lee-on-Solent, has been sentenced to a minimum of 27 years imprisonment at Portsmouth Crown Court (21 November 2025) for murder. This sentence includes an offence of indecent assault that he admitted at Bolton Crown Court.Suter had pleaded guilty to…
A man has today been jailed for a minimum of 26 years following the murder of his 96-year-old grandmother, committed in a calculated attempt to obtain financial benefit. Joshua Powell, 27, of Lindford, was sentenced today (14 November 2025) at Portsmouth Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to…
A criminal network which procured and sold dozens of kilos of cocaine across South-West England between 2016-2020 have been jailed for over 112 years in total.The last of the network, Anton Merturi, 26, was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court today.Warren Allison, 36, Kelroy Allison, 41, Richard…
Press ReleaseDrug offencesInternational and organised crimeWessex
Simon Clark, from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Our thoughts and condolences remain with Mikey’s family during this incredibly difficult time.“This case shows the perils of people carrying knives. The Crown Prosecution Service treats knife crime with the utmost seriousness and is committed…
A man who strangled and assaulted a woman in her home has today been jailed for more than two years.Steven Waters, 32, of Fareham, Portsmouth, attended the woman’s home address and had been drinking. Initially, everything was okay between the pair until Waters demeanour quickly changed.Waters…
Press ReleaseDomestic abuseViolent crimeWessex
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.
