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 18 results for crime type "Violent crime" & 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…
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 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…
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,…
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…
A father who claimed to have fatally stabbed his daughter during a ‘play-fight’ in their home has been convicted at Teesside Crown Court today of her murder.Simon Vickers, 50, of Geneva Road, Darlington, was convicted over the death of his daughter, Scarlett Vickers, after fatally wounding her in…
A Sunderland doctor has been convicted of attempting to kill his mother’s partner, after injecting him with a toxin that caused a flesh-eating disease during a faked COVID vaccine appointment.Thomas Kwan, 48, of Brading Court, Ingleby Barwick, pleaded guilty to one charge of attempted murder today…
The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised a charge of riot against Brian Gilby, 29, in relation to the disorder that took place in Sunderland on 2 August this year.Christopher Atkinson, Head of the Complex Casework Unit for CPS North East, said: “Brian Gilby had previously faced a charge…
The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised a charge of riot against Ashley Mark Wilkinson, 35, in relation to the disorder that took place in Sunderland on 2 August this year.Christopher Atkinson, Head of the Complex Casework Unit for CPS North East, said: “The defendant previously faced a…
Press ReleaseViolent crimeNorth East
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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.
