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.
An escaped prisoner who planned to set off an explosive device at a Blackpool bank after watching a Netflix documentary will face further jail time.On 26 November 2020 Lancashire Police officers conducted a welfare check on Alan Murphy, 62, who was living in a campervan in Blackpool.Murphy…
A man has been jailed for more than two years after being involved in widespread unrest in Blackpool. Roger Haywood, 41, of Yew Tree Close, Blackpool was described as being a prominent member of the group involved in disorder in the resort almost two weeks ago.On 3 August, Haywood encouraged a…
A Wythenshawe man has been jailed for attempting to abduct a 14-year-old boy in Stockport in March last year.At 4.30pm on 20th March 2023, a 14-year-old boy was walking along Jacksons Lane, Hazel Grove, Stockport when he saw an orange and black Mini parked in a layby on the opposite side of the…
A thug has been jailed today for violent disorder during a riot on 31 July in Manchester.Paul Smith, 21, has been sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to violent disorder at Manchester Square Crown Court. The court also imposed a seven-year criminal behaviour order…
A man has been jailed today after pleading guilty to posting grossly offensive messages on social media.On or about 31 July 2024, Lee Dunn, 51, re-posted three images with captions which were grossly offensive, and which risked worsening community tensions.During his police interview Dunn admitted…
A professional boxer has today been found guilty of the manslaughter of a man in Blackpool in October last year, plus numerous drug offences.Mali Wright, 30 originally from Leeds, assaulted Daniel Allsop, 38, on Bethesda Road in Blackpool at 4.30pm on 2 October 2023.Mr Allsop had walked to Bethesda…
Three men have been found guilty of the fatal stabbing of Sadiq Al-Lami in Manchester.Although it was never clear who struck Mr Al-Lami, Sultan Bakr, 22, and brothers Sikander Babar, 24, and Abdul Babar, 19, all denied their individual parts in the death of the 31-year-old but were convicted after…
A man has admitted being in possession of a hammer and a small amount of cannabis following widespread disorder in Bolton in recent days.Mathew Edge, 34, pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates' Court today to possession of the offensive weapon, and possession of cannabis.Police were in Bolton…
A Bolton man has been jailed for two months for causing damage to two police cars following widespread disorder in Bolton in recent days.James Nelson, 18, pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates' Court to criminal damage and was jailed for two months.Suzanne Llewellyn, Chief Crown Prosecutor of…
A man has been jailed for 17 years for raping three women between 2021 and 2023 in Preston and Darwen.In the early hours of 3 October 2021, Nazim Asmal, 35, from Blackburn, approached a 23-year-old woman, who had lost her friends during a night out in Preston city centre, in his Audi Coupe. He…
Press ReleaseSexual offencesNorth 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.
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
We will aim to be fair and accurate in all the information we publish. We will aim to correct any inaccuracies as soon as possible.
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.
