The nation’s top lawyer says thanks to CPS Mersey-Cheshire
The new Attorney General (AG) Richard Hermer KC has thanked the staff of CPS Mersey-Cheshire on behalf of the Government for their crucial work on the recent riots.
The AG visited the CPS area HQ in Walker House in Liverpool on 23 August 2024 in what he described as a “really important trip” – one of his first as Attorney General.
He met Mersey-Cheshire Chief Crown Prosecutor Sarah Hammond and said he brought the thanks of himself as Attorney General, as a citizen and on behalf of the Prime Minister for the work done to bring those responsible for the disorder in recent weeks to justice.
He talked to lawyers and paralegals who have been working on the cases alongside Merseyside Police and said he was bowled over by the strong sense of dedication and public service.
Recent figures show that more than 56 people have been charged and prosecuted for the disorder across Merseyside and Cheshire so far. The total amount of jail time they have been given comes to over 62 years.
The AG also thanked staff for their work following the tragic murder of three young girls at a dance class in Southport on 29 July. Axel Rudakubana, 18, has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder following the incident.
The violent disorder began in Southport, following a vigil on 30 July for the victims of the stabbings and spread across the country.
The Attorney addressed all staff after the briefings and said: “What you managed to achieve, working with the police, to get people sentenced within days of the disorder breaking out, made the most extraordinary impact. As the Attorney General, a citizen and, on behalf of the Prime Minister, I want to say thank you and applaud you as public servants and for your public service.”
The AG did media interviews at Walker House alongside the Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Mersey-Cheshire, Sarah Hammond.
Afterwards, he went on to visit the Spellow Library in Walton that was looted and torched by rioters a couple of weeks before. The community is working to restore the building.
Mr Hermer donated a number of books that he said had inspired him in his legal career. He put an signed inscription in the books with a quote from American civil rights campaigner Dr Martin Luther King.
It read “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice.”
CCP Sarah Hammond thanked the Attorney General for his visit and said his gratitude meant a lot to staff. She said: “Our prosecutors have been working long hours, including weekends, under a lot of pressure, and scouring through lots of evidence to ensure those responsible faced justice swiftly and firmly.
“Some of the first jail terms for this offending were handed out at Liverpool Crown Court and one of our lawyers spoke to the media outside of court to deliver a clear message - if you have taken part either by fanning the flames online or by bringing violence and disruption to our communities, you will be caught, convicted and most likely imprisoned.
“From the moment it became clear that there were serious and swift consequences to this, the disorder stopped. It was great to hear that all of this hard work has really made a difference and that the highest levels of Government have appreciated this supreme effort.”