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 serial conman who posed as a Swiss banker and a MI6 spy to defraud his victim, who was left penniless, has been ordered to pay back £125,000 to her or face more time in jail.Mark Acklom, 52, deceived the victim into thinking they were in a committed relationship and would get married, so that she…
Press ReleaseFraud and economic crimeProceeds of crimeCPS
The Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales ("the DPP”) is carrying out an investigation into the affairs of Mr David John Mills (formerly known as David John Oneal).The investigation being carried out is a civil recovery investigation under Part 5 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (…
A former detective who abused his position by stealing cocaine from the evidence store at work and supplying it on the streets of Manchester has been ordered to pay back over £75,000 or face more time in jail.Andrew Talbot, 55, who was previously a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) detective working…
A Twitter hacker who breached the accounts of celebrities including Barack Obama and Jeff Bezos has been forced to hand over £4million.Joseph James O’Connor, 26, was jailed in the US for the hacks which involved scamming people out of Bitcoin and threatening celebrities with the release of personal…
Paul Flowers, former Co-Operative Bank Chairman, Labour councillor in Rochdale and Bradford, and Methodist minister stole from his friend Margaret Jarvis whilst she battled Alzheimer’s. On her death he continued to steal from her estate, abusing his position as executor of her will.Over…
The designer of a fake luxury clothes scam has been ordered to pay back £90,503,211 or face more time in prison. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) secured a Confiscation Order against Arif Patel, 57, at Chester Crown Court on 28 August 2025.Clothing manufacturer Arif Patel, of Preston, and…
The ringleader of a people-smuggling operation which led to the tragic deaths of 39 Vietnamese men, women and children in Essex, has had his sentence extended for failing to pay back his Confiscation Order.Ronan Hughes, 45, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment at the Old Bailey in February 2021…
Press ReleaseProceeds of crimeFraud and economic crimeCPS
Thomas Kavanagh, a senior figure in the Kinahan Organised Crime Group (OCG) and his associate Gary Vickery, who were jailed for their part in a drug smuggling operation, which involved importing drugs inside tarmac removal machinery, have been ordered to pay back over £1 million or face more time…
The former director of a finance company, based in the City of London, has been ordered to pay back £64 million or spend 14 more years in prison from a large-scale fraud.Anthony Constantinou, 41, was found guilty of Fraud by false representations, Fraudulent-trading, and Money laundering at…
A bogus doctor who was responsible for forging her medical qualifications and fraudulently securing positions as a hospital psychiatrist has been ordered to pay back £406,624 or spend two and half more years in prison.Zholia Alemi, 63, of Burnley, was found guilty of 13 counts of fraud, two counts…
Press ReleaseProceeds of crimeCPS
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.
