CPS News Centre

Criminal cases prosecuted by the CPS are in the news every day, along with a range of issues relating to our work – from violence against women and girls and hate crime, to support for victims and witnesses, statistics and speeches.

To ensure greater openness in the reporting of criminal proceedings, the CPS, the police and media representatives developed a joint protocol for working together.

Here you can find our latest news stories and search for others. You can also find additional details about a number of high-profile cases and the work of the CPS.

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Media enquiries

National, international and specialist media should contact the main 24-hour press office.

Local media should contact their Area Communications Manager during normal working hours.

Man convicted of raping complete stranger in Hastings

A man has been convicted of the rape of a complete stranger he met in Hastings town centre on a night out.

17 August 2023 | Press Release , Sexual offences , South East News

Police sergeant sentenced to two years in prison over sexual assault in the sea

A Metropolitan Police sergeant has been sentenced to two years in prison after sexually assaulting a woman in the sea off Brighton seafront on his stag night.

28 July 2023 | Press Release , Sexual offences , South East News

New approach to prosecuting adult rape cases in South East leads to more cases being charged

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.

10 July 2023 | Press Release , Sexual offences , South East News

Teenager jailed for over 30 sexual offences

A 17-year-old youth has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to 30 sexual offences, including two rapes, and nine counts of blackmail, against nine girls, all of whom were 16 or under.

28 June 2023 | Press Release , Sexual offences, Cyber / online crime , South East News

Retired teacher convicted of sexual assaults

A retired teacher has been convicted of a series of sexual assaults on boys at two schools, one in Sussex and one in Wiltshire, over a 20-year period.

28 April 2023 | Press Release , Sexual offences , South East News

Two men who raped 17-year-old girl jailed

Two men who raped a teenage girl after meeting for the first time earlier that day have been jailed.

10 February 2023 | Press Release , Sexual offences, Violent crime , South East News

UPDATED with sentence: Hospital electrician pleads guilty to further necrophilia offences

UPDATED: 7 December 2022 Fuller was sentenced to four years in prison for these offences to run concurrently to his existing life sentence for two murders.

07 December 2022 | Press Release , Sexual offences , South East News

Two men guilty of rape in Brighton city centre

Two men have been found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Brighton. Ashley Lewis and Dylan Holden acted together, taking advantage of a 17-year-old woman who was so intoxicated she was unable to walk without assistance.

11 November 2022 | Press Release , Sexual offences , South East News

How prosecutors in CPS South East are working to close rape charging gap

Prosecutors and police forces in the South East have been working tirelessly to address the gap between reported rapes and cases reaching court.

30 July 2020 | Press Release , Sexual offences , CPS, South East News

South East top lawyer joins new commission on domestic and sexual violence

CPS South East's Chief Crown Prosecutor has joined a new commission looking at domestic and sexual violence.

09 October 2017 | News Item , Domestic abuse, Sexual offences , South East News

Search CPS News

In-depth - a deeper look at high-profile cases and the work of the CPS

'You can trust me, I'm a police officer' couldn't be further from the truth
How 13 women's testimonies secured the fate of serial rapist David Carrick
How a criminal case works
From reporting to appeals - how a criminal case works, end-to-end.
How we make our decisions
How does the CPS make the decision to prosecute - or not?
Our criminal justice partners
We don't just work with the police - here's a look at our many partners within the criminal justice system.
Transforming our service to victims at the CPS
Being a victim of crime can be deeply traumatic, and for those who find themselves in the criminal justice system the process can feel overwhelming, unfamiliar, and incredibly challenging.

Articles and speeches

Read articles and speeches from the CPS on matters of relevance to the Criminal Justice System

Articles and Speeches

CPS Says

The CPS position on major issues in the news, our response to inaccuracies in media reports and our letters to the media.

CPS Says...

Contacts: National media

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 call the General Enquiries line: 020 3357 0899 or 020 3357 0000 (09:00-17:00, Monday-Friday) or 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 cps.pressoffice@cps.gov.uk (9am-5pm weekdays only).

For out-of-hours media enquiries please call 020 3357 0906 to reach the duty press officer.

Contacts: Local media

Cymru/Wales
Richard Paull
Email: richard.paull@cps.gov.uk
Telephone: 02920 803950

East Midlands
Graham Buchanan
Email: Graham.Buchanan@cps.gov.uk
Telephone: 0115 852 3343

East of England
Gillian Andrews
Email: gillian.andrews@cps.gov.uk
Telephone: 01245 455027

London (North and South)
Wendy Wyeth or Molly Barker
Email: london.communications@cps.gov.uk
Telephone: 02380 673873

Mersey-Cheshire
Jackie Rand
Email: jackie.rand@cps.gov.uk
Telephone: 0151 239 6334

North East
Chris Black
Email: chris.black@cps.gov.uk
Telephone: 0191 260 4216

North West
Kerry Bell
Email: kerry.bell@cps.gov.uk
Telephone: 0161 827 4705

South East
Cheryl Pendry
Email: cheryl.pendry@cps.gov.uk
Telephones: 01227 655862 / 07876 390054

South West
Gary Cockram
Email: gary.cockram@cps.gov.uk
Telephone: 0117 930 2968

Thames and Chiltern
Angie Patton
Email: Angie.Patton@cps.gov.uk
Telephone: 01189 513625

Wessex
Wessex Communications
Email: wessex.communications@cps.gov.uk
Telephone: 02380 673873

West Midlands
Kofo Baptist
Email: kofo.baptist@cps.gov.uk
Telephone: 0203 357 0625

Yorkshire and Humberside
Elizabeth Ogborn
Email: elizabeth.ogborn@cps.gov.uk
Telephones: 0113 290 2839 / 07500 835186

Our social media policy

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.

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