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 54 results for crime type "Violent crime" & area "North West"
The Crown Prosecution Service has today announced that a 15-year-old boy has been charged with murdering 15-year-old Mohanad Goobe, who was stabbed to death during a large-scale disturbance on Monton Street, near Whitworth Park in Moston on Monday of this week.Howard Gough of the Crown Prosecution…
A man has been found guilty of murdering a former prison officer in a revenge killing outside a gym in Skelmersdale after the victim reported an illicit phone found in prison that exposed the killers’ relationship with a female prison officer.Lenny Scott, who had worked as a prison officer at HMP…
A man who killed a woman before callously disposing of her body in his garden shed has been found guilty of murder following a trial at Manchester Crown Court.Christopher Barlow, 62, initially claimed that 55-year-old Mariann Borocz had never been in his house and that he had no idea how her body…
10 men have been sentenced this week after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecuted an organised crime gang, following an investigation by Greater Manchester Police, assisted by the National Crime Agency under Operation Venetic which revealed incriminating messages from devices linked to…
A man who was previously jailed for grievous bodily harm in 2013 has been jailed for life after pleading guilty to his murder over a decade after the initial assault following a successful prosecution by the Crown Prosecution Service.Anthony Ellis, now 36, was jailed for life today (27 August) with…
A patient who attempted to murder a nurse with scissors, causing her to end up in intensive care, has been found guilty following a trial at Minshull Street Crown Court.Romon Haque, 38, viciously stabbed the nurse with scissors in an unprovoked, frenzied attack.Claire Aitken, Senior Crown…
Wendy Logan, District Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “John Belfield was responsible for leading a meticulously planned attack to kill Thomas Campbell. Evidence presented by the prosecution made it clear that Belfield had orchestrated this attack and left no stone unturned to ensure it…
Suzanne Llewellyn, Chief Crown Prosecutor of CPS North West, said:“The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the prosecution of two men in relation to the death of a 13-month-old boy in Blackpool.“Jamie Varley, 36, of Grimsargh in Lancashire, has been charged with the murder of baby Preston…
Press ReleaseViolent crimeSexual offencesNorth West
Company Director, Jake Balmforth, 35, has been jailed for five years for manslaughter, after an outbreak of violence in a Blackpool pub led to the death of Anthony Johnson. A nine year football banning order was also imposed.Katie Lord, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “This case…
A man previously convicted of murdering a 23-year-old man in 2011 has been found guilty of stabbing his 64-year-old great uncle to death last year.Direece Roche, 30, stabbed his great uncle to death, after entering his house through an upstairs window in the early hours of 30 June 2024.Fintan…
Press ReleaseViolent crimeNorth West
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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.
