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 boat skipper has been jailed after a man was killed when the vessel he was steering crashed into a buoy at high-speed.
Morgan Smith, 21, had been drinking alcohol prior to the collision, which took place at Poole Harbour during the early hours of 2 May, 2022.
The rigid hull inflatable boat …
On Wednesday 22 November at Liverpool Crown Court, four men were sentenced to a total of 173 years in prison for the murder of Ashley Dale at her home in Old Swan in August 2022, conspiracy to murder Ashley’s boyfriend Lee Harrison and conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon, namely a Skorpion…
Press ReleaseInternational and organised crimeViolent crimeCPSMersey-Cheshire
Rebecca Lawrence has announced her departure from the CPS. She will continue to offer advice to the new DPP and CEO during the transition to the next phase for the organisation.
The Director of Public Prosecutions thanks Rebecca for her legacy of skilful, caring and compassionate leadership…
Mohammed Afzal who was convicted as part of a conspiracy to produce commercial quantities of illegal medical drugs has been ordered to pay back millions of pounds or face 10 extra years in prison.
Today (17 November 2023) at the Central Criminal Court he was ordered to pay a Confiscation…
Press ReleaseFraud and economic crimeProceeds of crimeDrug offencesCPS
The editor of a far-right website has been convicted of possessing racially inflammatory material including stickers that had been posted in and around Liverpool in 2021 as part of a campaign directing people to a website calling for the establishment of a white master race.
James Costello…
A man who admitted funding terrorism and possessing a firearm for terrorist purposes has been jailed for eight years.
Aine Davis, 39, originally from London, left the UK in July 2013, flying to Turkey before travelling to Syria to join the Islamic State (IS) group.
While in Syria, Davis…
A teenage right-wing supremacist has been sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment after he was convicted of planning to disguise himself as an armed police officer and kill Muslims worshipping at nearby mosques.
Joe Metcalfe, 17, researched how to carry out the attack in imitation of the mass…
A man who sexually assaulted a 93-year-old woman with dementia while employed to deliver hot meals to elderly and vulnerable people has been jailed.
Frank Greco, 59, of Leighton Avenue in Swindon, repeatedly assaulted the elderly woman in her own home between late March and mid-April 2022.
…
Six members of an organised crime group have been jailed for smuggling into the UK 15 tonnes of cocaine worth £1.59bn in boxes of frozen chicken.
Stephen Rayner, 31, Cherie-Anne Rayner, 30, Liam Harrington, 39, Megan Budden, 23, Steven Gibson, 41, and Darren Hunter, 30, have been sentenced today…
Press ReleaseDrug offencesCPSYorkshire and Humberside
Five men have been sentenced today (9 November 2023) over waste disposal contracts that resulted in losses of around £417,000 to Cardiff City Council.
Andrew Barnett, 54, was found guilty of bribery offences at Cardiff Crown Court and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment .
Warren Roberts, 54,…
Press ReleaseFraud and economic crimeCPS
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.
