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 convicted killer who struck again by bludgeoning his elderly neighbour to death while out on life licence, has been given a whole life sentence for her murder.Lawrence Bierton, 63, attacked 73-year-old Pauline Quinn with a wooden coffee table in her own home after gaining entry through the back…
Two teenagers who plotted together to commit a murder have been convicted of killing a 16-year-old girl in a park in Cheshire.The boy and girl, who can’t be named because of their age and were referred to in court as Girl X and Boy Y, spent months plotting to kill someone and had a list of several…
Two men who pretended to be police officers and preyed on elderly victims in a fraud involving more than £400,000 were imprisoned today (Tuesday 19 December 2023).Mohammed Zaman Ahmed, 26, and Kawsar Ahmed, 25, were sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court to three years and eight months and four years…
Police chiefs, the College of Policing and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) are today announcing a joint commitment to transforming how they investigate, handle and prosecute domestic abuse to ensure victims are better supported, timeliness is improved, and more offenders are brought to…
The Crown Prosecution Service has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) today (Tuesday 5 December 2023) with Entain plc, a global online sports betting and gaming business (owner of Ladbrokes and Coral bookmakers) headquartered in London, to settle the HM Revenue & Customs…
Rebecca Lawrence has announced her departure from the CPS. She will continue to offer advice to the new DPP and CEO during the transition to the next phase for the organisation.
The Director of Public Prosecutions thanks Rebecca for her legacy of skilful, caring and compassionate leadership…
Planned protests this weekend have ignited public debate about the role of prosecutors and police in upholding law and order on our streets and in our communities.
The conflict in the Middle East has sparked not only large-scale demonstrations, but also surges in antisemitic and Islamophobic…
Foreword from Lionel Idan, CPS National Hate Crime Lead, and Mark Hamilton, NPCC Hate Crime Lead
As the respective National Hate Crime Leads for the Crown Prosecution Service and the National Police Chiefs’ Council, we continue to stand united in the commitment of both our organisations to the…
For the first time, the views of victims will be considered when deciding whether criminal cases involving a member of the armed forces should be dealt with by the civilian or military justice system in England and Wales.
Prosecutors have been told to seek assurances from the police that…
Between April and June this year, there was a 9.4% increase in the number of suspects charged in adult rape flagged cases from 859 in Q4 22/23 to 940 in Q1 23/24.
According to the Q1 data released today there has been an increase in adult rape flagged charges of 136% since January 2021.
There…
Press ReleaseSexual offencesCPS
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.
