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 created a joint protocol (agreement) for working together. We are currently working on an updated version of the protocol.
A former scout leader who assaulted children as young as seven over almost three decades has been convicted.Ian Charles Silvester, 60, has been found guilty of 79 offences following a trial at Lewes Crown Court on 20 November 2024.Silvester, of Brighton, was prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution…
Five people, including four youths who cannot be named because of their ages, have been convicted at Bristol Crown Court of the murders of teenagers Mason Rist and Max Dixon, who were attacked and killed on the Knowle area of the city in January 2024.All five defendants were convicted of both…
Sophie Stevens, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Wessex said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised Wiltshire Police to charge Naidu Rajan and Niamh Lynch with offences related to damage caused to the protected monument Stonehenge on 19 June 2024.“They will appear at Salisbury…
A police officer who assaulted a vulnerable young girl while on duty and superimposed his face onto child abuse images has been jailed for nine years.Dean Dempster, 35, who was a response officer for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) based in Oldham at the time, sexually touched the child while…
Police and prosecutors are transforming their handling of domestic abuse cases through shared innovation and closer joint working.The Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan (DA JJP) commits the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to work together more cohesively at…
A former director of music at a private school who indecently assaulted 10 pupils has been jailed today for 12 years for a number of sexual offences.David Pickthall, 66, carried out the abuse between 1979 and 2003 whilst employed as a teacher at Brentwood school in Essex and in his capacity as…
Rosemary Ainslie, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime Division, said: “Following a review of the evidence provided by Cheshire Police, we have authorised a charge of common assault against Mike Amesbury MP, 55.“The charge follows an alleged assault in Frodsham, Cheshire, on…
A man who claimed to be part of the proscribed organisation the Wagner Group has been jailed for two and a half years.Piotr Kucharski, 49, attended a Viking combat re-enactment event on 28 October 2023 wearing combat clothing with Wagner Group insignia sewn onto it.During a conversation with the…
A former surgeon, who was struck off the UK medical register in 2015, while working at Southampton General Hospital has been convicted today of causing actual bodily harm, child cruelty and administering a prescription only medicine to several young and vulnerable patients for ignoring basic…
A man who gave orange juice to a woman that he spiked with an abortion-inducing drug has been found guilty of administering a poison to procure a miscarriage.Stuart Worby, 40, crushed a single 200m tablet of mifepristone into the drink on the night of 3 August 2022 without the woman’s knowledge or…
Press ReleaseViolent crimeCPSEast of England
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.
