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 man who shouted at police officers and chanted to a mob at the Holiday Inn Rotherham has been sentenced after pleading guilty to violent disorder.Michael Whitehead (27) shouted ‘You’re not fit to wear the badge’ at police officers and chanted to the mob ‘Let’s go fxxxxxx mental, Let’s go…
Press ReleaseViolent crimeCPSYorkshire and Humberside
A former limousine driver who systematically groomed and abused young girls in the Rotherham area over a decade, has today been jailed. The CPS prosecuted David Saynor, as part of Operation Stovewood, a major investigation into non-familial child sexual abuse and exploitation which took place…
Gale Gilchrist, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS North East, said: “Following a review of further evidence, the Crown Prosecution Service has today laid a charge of riot in relation to a 15-year-old boy, following disorder that took place in Sunderland on August 2.“This is the first such charge to be…
A man whose vile abuse of a bus driver was widely shared on social media has been jailed.Michael Mongan, 39, unleashed a tirade of religiously-aggravated abuse and spat at the driver after being denied entry when his payment card was declined.The incident, which took place on August 7 in Hayes, saw…
Press ReleaseHate crimeViolent crimeCPSLondon North
Rosemary Ainslie, Acting Head of the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “The CPS has authorised South Wales Police to charge two men over alleged Facebook posts on or around 31 July in relation to the public disorder.“Geraint Boyce, 43, has been charged…
A 12-year-old boy has plead guilty today at Liverpool Youth Court, after being charged with violent disorder. The youth was identified through CCTV footage showing him throwing an unknown object towards a line of police officers during violent disorder that took place in Southport on Monday,…
UPDATE: James Aspin pleaded guilty to distributing a recording intending to stir up religious hatred and was sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court on 18 November 2024 to a 20 month prison term. The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised Northumbria Police to charge James Aspin, 34, with…
A man has been jailed today after pleading guilty to posting grossly offensive messages on social media.On or about 31 July 2024, Lee Dunn, 51, re-posted three images with captions which were grossly offensive, and which risked worsening community tensions.During his police interview Dunn admitted…
Rosemary Ainslie, Acting Head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised Northamptonshire Police to charge Lucy Connolly, 41, with publishing material intending to stir up racial hatred, contrary to Section 19 of the Public Order Act…
A man has been jailed for encouraging violence online just two days after he posted on social media during the public disorder. Tyler Kay, 26, wrote an offensive anti-immigration post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, 7 August, calling for hotels housing asylum seekers to be set alight.He…
Press ReleaseHate 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.
