CPS News Centre

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 have created an agreement: the Media Protocol: Working together to support open justice.

Showing 1 - 4 of 4 results for crime type "Hate crime" & area "Mersey-Cheshire"

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Man pleads guilty to Heysel disaster taunts and racist abuse at Liverpool derby

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…
Press Release Violent crime Hate crime CPS Mersey-Cheshire

Two teenagers jailed for life for the murder of Brianna Ghey

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…
Press Release Violent crime Hate crime CPS Mersey-Cheshire

Hate online is a crime

That’s the strong message from Knowsley Council, Merseyside Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) following the sentencing of James Newton, 27, from Kirkby, who posted racist and hateful social media comments on a local Facebook Group. On 16 March 2022 at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court,…
Press Release Hate crime Mersey-Cheshire

Man sentenced for racially abusing an 11-year-old boy

A man has been sentenced for racially abusing an eleven-year-old boy in Crewe. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that, on 8 August 2019, Stephen Paul Spencer, 31, was overheard directing racial slurs to the boy, who is mixed race and was on his mobile phone, looking at Instagram, at his…
Press Release Hate crime Mersey-Cheshire

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.

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The Crown Prosecution Service on social media

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.

Read the current protocol

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