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 1 - 10 of 20 results for crime type "Violent crime" & area "West Midlands"
A man who fled the UK after fatally stabbing a teenager has been sentenced to 22 years' imprisonment following a two-and-a-half-year international manhunt.Ishmael Farquharson, 34, of Porchester Drive, Birmingham, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court today (17 September 2025) for the manslaughter…
A killer has been jailed for murdering a 54-year-old man in a homophobic attack in his home.Matthew Jonathan, 39, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 32 years today (Friday, 12 September 2025) at Worcester Crown Court for the murder of Jamie Gawler.On…
A man who subjected a 94-year-old great-grandfather to a fatal beating during a burglary has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 33 years minus term served on remand after the CPS was able to use his dying words as evidence against his killer.Paul Topham, 45, of Palmerston…
A woman who murdered her estranged husband and then lied to emergency services saying he had taken his own life has been sentenced to life imprisonment.Amy Pugh, 34, of Stafford Road in Wolverhampton was sentenced today (5 September 2025) at Stafford Crown Court to life imprisonment with a minimum…
A woman has been convicted of murdering her ex-partner after stabbing him through the heart with a kitchen knife at his family home on Christmas Day last year.Kirsty Carless was found guilty today at Stafford Crown Court of killing 31-year-old Louis Price at his parents' house in Cannock,…
A man has been convicted of killing his grandfather following a violent attack that left the pensioner with fatal brain injuries.Jakob Walpole, 33, of Bulkington was found guilty of the manslaughter of 81-year-old John Brown at Warwick Crown Court today (30 July 2025) after a trial lasting three…
A man has been convicted of murdering a British Army War veteran who died after he was punched three times in a street attack in Stoke-on-Trent.Gregory Twigg, 32, was found guilty at Stafford Crown Court yesterday (10 July 2025) of killing 39-year-old Lee Woodward following the confrontation…
A teenager has been sentenced for fatally stabbing a 13-year-old boy to death in a house in Sandwell.The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court today (4 July 2025) to detention at His Majesty’s pleasure with a minimum term of eight years and six…
A teenager has been convicted of murder after stabbing a 13-year-old boy to death in a house in Sandwell.The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted of murdering Jahziah Coke at Wolverhampton Crown Court today (4 April 2025) following a trial that lasted four weeks.A man in his…
Ben Samples, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service in West Midlands, said: “The CPS has authorised West Midlands Police to charge Aimee Betro with conspiracy to murder a Birmingham resident.“Aimee Betro from Wisconsin in the USA will be charged for her alleged part in a…
Press ReleaseViolent crimeCPSWest Midlands
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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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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.
