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.
A man described in court as a “Jekyll and Hyde” character who left his victims feeling “helpless and trapped” has been convicted of a series of violent sexual offences against 11 different women and girls. Ian Hamilton, 63, from Dover, was found guilty of rapes and indecent assaults over a 23…
Press ReleaseSexual offencesDomestic abuseSouth East
A care worker who had sex without the consent of a vulnerable young disabled woman in a care home in Maidstone has today been jailed. Police were called after a condom wrapper was found in the woman’s room on the morning of 8 May 2024.Issoop Naguib Lootfun, 69, one of the care workers at the…
Two sisters who stole high-value perfumes, make-up and other cosmetics from duty-free shops in airports, estimated to be worth at least £80,000, have been jailed.Laura Epitropou, 45, and Georgina Epitropou, 42, stole the majority of the items from Gatwick Airport, selling them either via online…
A man who drove from Bedford to Worthing before abducting a 13-year-old boy and subjecting him to a three-and-a-half-hour ordeal, where he was raped and sexually assaulted, has been jailed for 10 years.Thomas Crabtree met the boy on Snapchat and sent multiple sexually explicit videos to him, before…
A man has been jailed for six months after smearing bacon on the door of a mosque.Marcus Edwards, 44, was in Gillingham on Sunday August 11, when he recorded the moment he smeared rashers of bacon on a mosque and claimed to people online that he would get away with it as the justice system would do…
A man has been jailed for a total of 16 months for assaulting a female police officer and attacking another man during a counter-demonstration in Brighton on 7 August. Ian Ward, aged 53 from Portslade, was part of a 1,000 strong counter-demonstration, which had been organised in response to…
A man who yelled homophobic abuse at police officers during a protest in Chatham has become the first person in Kent to be jailed following the recent spate of national disorder.Daniel Baldock was asked by police to disperse at Wednesday night’s (7 August) protest, but resisted those requests,…
A prisoner on day release who attempted to murder a work colleague in what was described as a “brutal, frenzied and sustained” attack has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Nicholas Fryers was a serving prisoner at HMP Standford Hill, but working at the Sainsbury’s distribution centre in…
A controlling and violent man who lied about how his girlfriend sustained fatal injuries to try to evade responsibility for her death, has been convicted of murdering her. Holly Sanchez’s body was found in a property in Crawley on the morning of 13 May 2023, following a 999 call from Ryan…
Press ReleaseDomestic abuseViolent crimeSouth East
A teenager has been convicted of the murder of a 17-year-old who died after being stabbed during a fight at a party near Horsham, Sussex. The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was heard by witnesses making references to knives during the party in July 2023. He had already been…
Press ReleaseViolent crimeSouth East
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.
Please do not try to report crime using social media. To report crime, please call 101 or visit your local police station. In an emergency, always call 999.
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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.
