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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 41 - 50 of 58 results for area "Wessex"

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

CPS Wessex: Successful Stalking Cases April 2024

During National Stalking Awareness Week, we are raising awareness of stalking behaviours and the work we are doing to ensure offenders are brought to justice.Stalking can have a catastrophic effect on victim’s lives, often altering their lives entirely. We work closely with various agencies to…
Press Release Wessex

GP who sexually assaulted his patients during routine appointments is jailed

A GP who sexually assaulted his patients, including a woman with terminal cancer, has been jailed.Mohan Babu, 47, abused his position of trust by groping and kissing women without their consent while they were receiving medical treatment during routine appointments.The assaults took place between…
Press Release Sexual offences Wessex

CPS Wessex: Successful Hate Crime Cases April 2024

Prosecutors from CPS Wessex routinely secure successful outcomes in a variety of hate crime cases across the Magistrates’ and Crown Courts in Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and Wiltshire.Under hate crime legislation, courts must pass an increased sentence where the prosecutor has…
Press Release Hate crime Wessex

Man posing as a taxi driver jailed for raping woman decade after near identical case

A man posing as a taxi driver who lured a lone woman into his car before raping her has been jailed – over a decade after committing a near-identical crime.On 15 April 2023, Fareed Issa Tariq, 43, picked up the woman as she was waiting for a taxi after a night out in Swindon and then drove to a…
Press Release Sexual offences Wessex

Ex-counsellor jailed for non-recent sex offences

A rapist who preyed on vulnerable young boys in the 1990’s has been jailed for 22 years.The abuse took place throughout the 1990’s in Swindon when the victims were aged between 14 and 15 years of ages.Timothy Darch, 62, met one of his victims through his work as a youth counsellor. He gained the…
Press Release Sexual offences Wessex

CPS Wessex: Successful Hate Crime Cases March 2024

Prosecutors from CPS Wessex routinely secure successful outcomes in a variety of hate crime cases across the Magistrates’ and Crown Courts in Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and Wiltshire.Under hate crime legislation, courts must pass an increased sentence where the prosecutor has…
Press Release Hate crime Wessex

Former barrister sentenced for grossly offensive antisemitic blog posts

A disbarred barrister who posted grossly offensive antisemitic material online has been sentenced.Between May 2021 and April 2022, Ian Robert Millard persistently posted about his hatred of Jewish people online, while claiming he was simply exercising his freedom of speech.Statements made by…
Press Release Hate crime CPS Wessex

Gang who killed man after botched robbery sentenced

A group of men have been sentenced for their role in a botched robbery resulting in the death of a man in a tragic case of mistaken identity.Kieran Claffey, 29, Leighton Tabone, 24, Bradley O’Dell, 22, Aaron Morgan, 32, and Justin Roach, 40, killed Mark Noke, 64, after attempting to rob the wrong…
Press Release Violent crime Wessex

Man, 65, convicted after knife attack outside shop

A 65-year-old man who stabbed another man outside a shop has been convicted.Luciano Marenghi stabbed the victim repeatedly after a dispute outside of the Co-op store in Pewsey, Wiltshire, on 4 September 2023.Marenghi denied intending to cause grievous bodily harm, instead claiming he acted in self…
Press Release Violent crime Wessex

Army officer who sent explicit images to women is sentenced

An army officer who used fake social media accounts to send explicit images to women serving on a military base in Aldershot has been sentenced.Glen Easterbrook, 38, repeatedly sent inappropriate sexual messages, voice notes, photos and videos under a pseudonym on Facebook and Snapchat to two women…
Press Release Sexual offences Cyber / online 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.

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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:

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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

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