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CPS News Centre

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. 

Showing 1 - 10 of 41 results for area "London South"

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Date format: mm/dd/yyyy

Two men jailed for horrific online sexual exploitation of children in legal first as CPS tackles Violence Against Women and Girls

Two men who committed unspeakable acts of violence against vulnerable children have been jailed as the CPS continues to crack down on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).Charlie Johnson, 24, and Prince Singh, 23, encouraged their victims to self-harm before illegally sharing&nbsp…
Press Release Cyber / online crime Sexual offences CPS London South

Former CPS paralegal sentenced after unauthorised access to criminal boyfriend’s file

A former CPS paralegal who accessed a criminal’s case file without authorisation has today been sentenced to six months' imprisonment, which was suspended for 18 months.Kiera Greenslade, 27, used the CPS internal database to find and send a picture of her then-boyfriend’s Police National Computer…
Press Release London South

CPS statement following sentencing of serial rapist

A serial rapist has been sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court today after he drugged and raped women in Greenwich.Chao Xu, 33, pleaded guilty to multiple serious sexual offences including rape, assault by penetration, sexual assault, voyeurism, administering a substance with intent and upskirting.He…
Press Release Sexual offences CPS London South

DIY bombmaker found with cocktail of explosive substances in homemade laboratory convicted

A self-proclaimed “nerdy kid” who tried building his own bombs in his mother’s back garden has been found guilty today after prosecutors proved he wasn’t just a scientist experimenting at home – and had in fact committed a serious criminal offence. Harry Whittaker, 32, of Caddington in…
Press Release CPS London South

Crown Prosecution Services announces Tim Westwood charged with rape

The Crown Prosecution Service has today announced Tim Westwood has been charged with rape and sexual offences.Westwood, 68, of Westminster, has been charged with:Nine counts of indecent assaultTwo counts of sexual assaultFour counts of rapeThese relate to reported non-recent offences between 1983…
Press Release Sexual offences CPS London South

Violent thief who attempted to rob luxury watch from undercover officer jailed

A watch thief who unwittingly targeted an undercover police officer wearing a luxury timepiece has been jailed.Abdi-Rahman Khaliif-Ali, 26, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of four years and nine months at Southwark Crown Court today. He had earlier pleaded guilty to…
Press Release Violent crime London South

PhD student given life sentence for raping 10 women

A PhD student at the University College London has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of 10 women.Zhenhao Zou, 28, was found guilty of 28 offences which included 11 counts of rape as well as three counts of voyeurism, 10 counts of possession of extreme pornographic images, one of…
Press Release Sexual offences CPS London South

Nursery worker who abused multiple children convicted of child cruelty

A former nursery worker who systematically abused multiple young children in her care has been convicted today.Roksana Lecka, 22, of Hounslow, assaulted and mistreated 21 babies while working at Riverside Nursery in Twickenham, London. She previously pleaded guilty to seven counts of cruelty…
Press Release Violent crime London South

Police officer jailed for rape

A Metropolitan police officer has been jailed for rape.Police Constable Sam McGregor, 33, was today sentenced to four years and six months years imprisonment.McGregor was found guilty of raping a woman in London in May 2021 after a trial at the Inner London Crown Court in January this year. He…
Press Release Sexual offences London South

PhD student found guilty of raping 10 women

A PhD student at the University College London has been convicted of the rape of 10 women.Zhenhao Zou, 28, was charged with 35 offences which included 11 counts of rape as well as three counts of voyeurism, 12 counts of possession of extreme pornographic images, one of false imprisonment and eight…
Press Release Sexual offences CPS London South

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.

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The Crown Prosecution Service on social media

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.

Read the current protocol

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