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 60 results for area "North East"
Three men who were involved in the fatal shooting of a County Durham grandfather have been found guilty of murder at Teesside Crown Court today (31 October).The group were convicted of the murder of 60-year-old Barry Dawson at his home in Elm Street, Stanley in April of this year.Sean Reay, 30, of…
The Crown Prosecution Service has today announced Joshua Oliver has been charged with arson – following allegations of setting a fire at the offices of Sharon Hodgson MP in the Concord area of Washington, Tyne and Wear.Christopher Atkinson of the Crown Prosecution Service said: "The Crown…
Chris Atkinson, Senior District Crown Prosecutor for CPS North East, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised Durham Constabulary to charge eight people in relation to an alleged incident of affray at Eden Lane Park on Saturday 30 August. One suspect has also been charged with inciting…
A transgender woman who failed to disclose her gender status to a male sexual partner has been found guilty of sexual assault today at Teesside Crown Court.Ciara Watkin, 21, of Walton Street, Stockton-on-Tees, was found guilty of multiple charges relating to sexual acts that she performed on the 21…
A man has been given an 18-year sentence after driving his car at a man who had been trying to break up a fight in a street in County Durham.Hugh Holmes, 36, of Tudhoe Moor, Spennymoor, Durham drove a Renault Megane at the victim and James Cowie, 28, of Kilburn Street, Shildon, Durham, in Faraday…
Two men who cut down the famous ‘Sycamore Gap’ tree and damaged a section of Hadrian’s Wall have been jailed today at Newcastle Crown Court.Daniel Graham, 39, of Millbeck Stables, Carlisle, and Adam Carruthers, 32, of Church Street, Wigton, were both previously convicted of two charges of criminal…
A man who caused a fatal explosion using butane gas to refine cannabis has today been jailed for causing the deaths of two people at Newcastle Crown Court.Reece Galbraith, 33, of Rectory Road, Gateshead, previously pleaded guilty to multiple charges relating to the explosion at Violet Close,…
Two men who cut down the famous ‘Sycamore Gap’ tree and damaged a section of Hadrian’s Wall, have today been found guilty of criminal damage at Newcastle Crown Court.Daniel Graham, 39, of Milbeck Stables, Carlisle, and Adam Carruthers, 32, of Church Street, Wigton, were both convicted of two…
A father who murdered his daughter in what he had claimed to be a ‘play fight’ at their home has been jailed for life with a minimum of 15 years at Teesside Crown Court today.Simon Vickers, 50, of Geneva Road, Darlington, fatally wounded his daughter Scarlett Vickers in the kitchen of their home in…
A Darlington man who murdered his partner’s infant son has been jailed for life with a minimum of 25 years today at Teesside Crown Court.Christopher Stockton, 38, of Neasham Road, Darlington, was sentenced after previously being found guilty of the murder of 22-month-old Charlie Roberts. His then…
Press ReleaseViolent crimeCPSNorth East
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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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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.
