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 woman has been convicted of the murder of a pub landlord in Maidstone, who was stabbed in the street outside his pub.Matthew Bryant died at the scene outside the Hare and Hounds pub on 11 September 2023 after being stabbed three times by Stephanie Langley. The wounds inflicted on him were…
A man who undertook what was described in court as a “campaign of rape” over a seven-year period has been jailed for 19 and a half years. Alan Hurst was also given a five and a half year extended licence. He targeted the child victim between 2015 and 2022. She shared with her friend what was…
A small boat pilot has been convicted of the manslaughter of four men who were attempting to reach the UK.Ibrahima Bah was the pilot of the boat in the early hours of 14 December 2022, when according to witnesses on board, the boat ripped apart. Those on board reported that it had started taking on…
A father convicted of murdering his two-year-old daughter, who died after sustaining catastrophic brain injuries, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.Zahra Ghulami was taken to Darenth Valley Hospital on 27 May 2020 by her father Jan Ali Gholami. She was unresponsive and had a large swelling to…
New figures from CPS internal data shows that the number of rape referrals made by Kent, Surrey and Sussex Police has almost trebled in the last three years.
The South East has been taking part in a pilot programme to transform how adult rapes are prosecuted, which is now being rolled out…
Prosecutors and police forces in the South East have been working tirelessly to address the gap between reported rapes and cases reaching court.
Robust discussions about barriers to prosecution identified that earlier and more meaningful engagement between police and the CPS could drive up the…
The CPS hate crime annual report, published today (Tuesday 16 October), shows that CPS South East, which is responsible for these types of prosecutions in the three counties, had the third highest conviction rate out of 14 CPS Areas.
Between April 2017 and March 2018, there were 787 hate crimes…
CPS South East has engaged staff, set clear priorities with a strong vision and has used a peer review approach to improve performance in its Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team, according to a report published today (Tuesday 30 January 2018) by Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service…
CPS South East's Chief Crown Prosecutor has joined a new commission looking at domestic and sexual violence.
Jaswant Narwal will be part of the commission, chaired by Baroness Hilary Armstrong, which will look at how to support some of the most marginalised women in society, including those…
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has today (21 August) published new public statements on how it will prosecute hate crime and support victims in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
The revised statements cover the different strands of hate crime: racist and religious; disability; and homophobic,…
News ItemHate 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.
If you follow us on social media we will not automatically follow you back. Being followed by us does not imply endorsement of any kind.
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.
