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 40 results for area "London South"
A self-proclaimed “nerdy kid” who tried building his own bombs in his mother’s back garden has been found guilty today after prosecutors proved he wasn’t just a scientist experimenting at home – and had in fact committed a serious criminal offence. Harry Whittaker, 32, of Caddington in…
The Crown Prosecution Service has today announced Tim Westwood has been charged with rape and sexual offences.Westwood, 68, of Westminster, has been charged with:Nine counts of indecent assaultTwo counts of sexual assaultFour counts of rapeThese relate to reported non-recent offences between 1983…
A watch thief who unwittingly targeted an undercover police officer wearing a luxury timepiece has been jailed.Abdi-Rahman Khaliif-Ali, 26, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of four years and nine months at Southwark Crown Court today. He had earlier pleaded guilty to…
A PhD student at the University College London has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of 10 women.Zhenhao Zou, 28, was found guilty of 28 offences which included 11 counts of rape as well as three counts of voyeurism, 10 counts of possession of extreme pornographic images, one of…
A former nursery worker who systematically abused multiple young children in her care has been convicted today.Roksana Lecka, 22, of Hounslow, assaulted and mistreated 21 babies while working at Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, London. She previously pleaded guilty to seven counts of cruelty…
A Metropolitan police officer has been jailed for rape.Police Constable Sam McGregor, 33, was today sentenced to four years and six months years imprisonment.McGregor was found guilty of raping a woman in London in May 2021 after a trial at the Inner London Crown Court in January this year. He…
A PhD student at the University College London has been convicted of the rape of 10 women.Zhenhao Zou, 28, was charged with 35 offences which included 11 counts of rape as well as three counts of voyeurism, 12 counts of possession of extreme pornographic images, one of false imprisonment and eight…
A man who stalked a woman, which included following her to Paris, has been jailed and given a 10-year restraining order.Oscar Romero, 44, from St Albans, pleaded guilty to stalking involving serious alarm or distress and was sentenced today at Kingston Upon Thames Crown Court to 20 weeks’…
On 6 January 2025 at Isleworth Crown Court, Linda De Sousa Abreu was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment.Lionel Idan, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “The actions of this defendant have not only had an impact on the trust that the public places in prison…
A man who paid people in the Philippines to organise live strip shows, many of which involved children aged between 9 and 16 years old, has been jailed.Duncan Bartlett, 57, was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment this week (Monday 9 December) at Wood Green Crown Court, having previously pleaded…
Press ReleaseSexual offencesLondon South
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
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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.
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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.
