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.
Victims of rape and serious sexual assaults who face their cases being dropped by prosecutors will, for the first time, be given the right to have their case reviewed by a different prosecutor before any final decisions are made.Criminal cases can be stopped at any point if a prosecutor decides…
Malcolm McHaffie, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Division, said: “Following a review of the evidence provided by West Midlands Police, we have authorised criminal charges in relation to the death of a 14-month-old child at a nursery in Dudley. “Noah Sibanda died…
This press release was originally published on 6 March 2025.Update: On 4 April 2025 Joanne Sharkey was given a two-year suspended prison sentence suspended for two years at Liverpool Crown Court after previously admitting manslaughter by diminished responsibility. A woman has admitted killing…
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…
In January 2025, the CPS West Midlands Magistrates’ and Crown Court units successfully prosecuted various hate crime cases. Some of these are below.On 15 August 2024, the 55-year-old defendant, from Norwich, racially abused a taxi driver outside Norwich railway station over the price of the fare…
A 25 -year-old woman has been jailed after pleading guilty to child sex offences.Nichole Pratt, of Foster Crescent, Leominster was sentenced today (4 March 2025) at Hereford Crown Court to seven-and-a-half years in custody for causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and…
In December 2024, the CPS West Midlands Magistrates’ and Crown court units successfully prosecuted various hate crime cases. Below are some of the cases.On 5 July 2024, the 21-year-old defendant from Neath Port Talbot directed homophobic abuse towards a police officer who was attempting to arrest…
A man has been sentenced to 29 years in prison for sexual offences against five complainants including three children.Christopher Johnson, 41, of Dunvegan Road, Birmingham was sentenced on Friday 17 January 2025 at Birmingham Crown Court for five counts of rape, three counts of making indecent…
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…
Five men who used a dating app to target and rob unsuspecting victims of thousands of pounds have been sentenced.Demalji Hadza, 21, Abubaker Alezawy, 21, Ali Hassan, 20, Wasiim Omar, 24, and Mohammed Sharif, 23, were sentenced today (13 January 2025) at Birmingham Crown Court.They had previously…
Press ReleaseWest Midlands
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.
