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 111 - 118 of 118 results for area "North West"

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Date format: mm/dd/yyyy

Stockport man jailed for making explosive substances in his home

A man from Stockport was sentenced to 17 months in prison, suspended for two years with 25 days rehabilitation and a 10 year criminal behaviour order, after admitting making an explosive substance for an unlawful purpose.David Prior, 51, was at his home in Reddish when officers attended to search…
Press Release North West

Teenagers sentenced for damaging wreaths at Rochdale cenotaph while using antisemitic language

Two teenagers have been sentenced for damaging poppy wreaths at Rochdale cenotaph while using antisemitic language.The two 17-year-olds approached the war memorial around 12pm on Monday 6 November and began damaging the wreaths while shouting hateful antisemitic language. They filmed themselves…
Press Release Hate crime North West

Former police officer who attempted to murder ex-partner at hotel jailed

A former police officer who attempted to murder his ex-partner at a hotel before fleeing the scene has been jailed for 16 years.James Riley, 28, was a serving police officer with Lancashire Constabulary when the offence took place in November 2022.He had previously denied attempting to murder the…
Press Release Violent crime North West

Blackpool child sex offender jailed

A man from Blackpool has been jailed for 21 sexual offences against children, including two counts of rape.Daniel Pritchard, 44, was sentenced today at Preston Crown Court to 26 years in prison with a two-year extended licence and given a sexual harm prevention order for life.Pritchard was…
Press Release Sexual offences North West

North West Chief Prosecutor welcomes new guidance for prosecutors on mental health conditions and disorders

Guidance for prosecutors on dealing with defendants with mental health issues has been updated to reflect growing understanding of different conditions, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has announced today. The revised guidance is designed to assist decision making throughout the life of a…
Press Release North West

CPS North West response to Inspectorate report

CPS North West has good leadership, is managing its resources well and is building effective partnerships across the criminal justice system according to a report published today by Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI). The report also highlights the North West Area’s…
Press Release North West

Man given life for murdering partner 20 years after killing another partner

A man has today been given a life sentence for the murder of his partner, more than 20 years after he was convicted for the manslaughter of a previous partner. Paul Plunkett, 62, was found guilty in 1996 of killing Jacqueline Aspery and today pleaded guilty to the unrelated murder of…
Press Release Violent crime CPS North West

Farmer guilty of disturbing osprey nest

A 59-year-old man has been found guilty of disturbing an osprey nest in Keswick, Cumbria on 13 June 2017. Paul Barnes used his tractor to tow a trailer of people into the field where the osprey was nesting at his farm near Bassenthwaite Lake, Keswick The two adult birds left the nest as a…
North West

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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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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