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.
A company has been fined £450,000 and the firm’s director has received a suspended prison sentence after a labourer was crushed to death at a construction site.Simon Briggs, 61, principal director of Stonehurst Estates Ltd, was today sentenced to 23 weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, for…
A man has pleaded guilty to taunting Liverpool fans about the Heysel Stadium disaster and shouting racist abuse at a derby match against Everton in October 2023.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that Joel Barwise, 26, of Bentham Drive, in Childwall in Liverpool, made pushing gestures towards…
Three women who displayed images of paragliders during a protest in central London have been found guilty of arousing suspicion that they were supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation.Paragliders were used by Hamas to breach the Gaza/Israel border during the terror attacks on 7 October where…
Three men who laundered funds fraudulently obtained from 350 people who were tricked into investing more than £12 million in non-existent or worthless shares have been sentenced today.Some victims invested tens of thousands of pounds they had saved for their retirement and will have to continue…
Press ReleaseInternational and organised crimeFraud and economic crimeCPS
A far-right extremist who posted offensive content on social media and glorified the murderer of Jo Cox MP has been jailed for two years and eight months. Kieran Turner was jailed on Thursday, 8 February.Kieran Turner, from Earby, Lancashire, began his offending in 2016 when he opened an…
Victoria Cook, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS South West, said: “CPS South West’s Complex Casework Unit has today authorised two murder charges against a 14-year-old boy following the deaths of 16-year-old Max Dixon and 15-year-old Mason Rist.“The 14-year-old, who cannot be named due to legal…
Christopher McEvoy, 47, was handed a suspended 14-month prison sentence on 2 February 2024, and disqualified from being the director of any company for two years.Sarah Place, a Specialist Fraud Prosecutor, said:“Christopher McEvoy treated company money as his own piggy bank to dip into whenever he…
Two Islamist extremists have been jailed for terrorist offences.Al-Arfat Hassan, 21, from Enfield, was sentenced to a seven year extended sentence with at least five years in prison for possessing chemicals for a terrorist purpose . A youth, 17, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for…
Two 16-year-olds, now named in open court as Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, have been sentenced to a life term in prison today at Manchester Crown Court after having been convicted of murdering 16-year-old Brianna Ghey.Scarlett Jenkinson must serve a minimum of 22 years before she can be…
Victoria Cook, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS South West, said: “Prosecutors from CPS South West’s Complex Casework Unit have today (1 February) authorised charges against four more suspects in connection with the stabbings of 16-year-old Max Dixon and 15-year-old Mason Rist.“Two youths, aged…
Press ReleaseViolent crimeCPSSouth West
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.
