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 31 - 38 of 38 results for crime type "Violent crime" & area "Mersey-Cheshire"
A man has been sentenced for a homophobic assault on a Drag Race UK star at a McDonalds outlet in Liverpool.James Lee Williams, who performs as The Vivienne, was punched in the face by Alan Whitfield, 51, at the fast-food restaurant in Edge Lane retail park in June 2023.Whitfield, of Tom Mann Close…
Senior Crown Prosecutor Paul Shepherd of CPS Mersey Cheshire, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has today authorised Merseyside Police to charge Leslie Garrett, 49, of Ternhall Road, Liverpool, with the offences of:1) S16 Firearms Act 1968 Possession of firearm to endanger life2) S16A…
A student at Manchester University has been imprisoned for the murder of her partner after running him over.Alice Wood, 23, was today (Friday 2 February 2024) sentenced to serve a minimum term of 18 years imprisonment at Chester Crown Court.Wood killed her partner, Ryan Watson, who was 24 years old…
Two teenagers who plotted together to commit a murder have been convicted of killing a 16-year-old girl in a park in Cheshire.The boy and girl, who can’t be named because of their age and were referred to in court as Girl X and Boy Y, spent months plotting to kill someone and had a list of several…
An 84-year-old man who attacked his neighbour with a spade and killed him has been jailed for life.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that Thomas Dunn attacked Royston Costello, 60, as he lay asleep on the sofa in his home at Oakdene Court in Sandbach around 10am on Monday 20 February…
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
A targeted stop and search pilot in Merseyside is helping to cut knife crime offending across the region.
Merseyside Police, working in conjunction with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has secured 44 Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs) since the launch in April 2023.
The court can…
A woman who was looking after an XL Bully dog that ravaged a four-year-old boy in Liverpool has been sentenced.
Stacy Smith had been looking after her partner’s dog, “Nola” for around ten days in her home in Wellsbourne Place in Liverpool.
On 13 August 2022, a four-year-old boy who…
Press ReleaseViolent crimeMersey-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.
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.
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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.
