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 11 - 20 of 54 results for area "South East"
A doctor has been found guilty of a series of sexual offences committed over a number of years against male patients at the surgery he worked at in Canterbury.Gregory Manson was a GP practising at Cossington House Surgery from 1999 to 2017 who carried out unnecessary examinations of men’s genitals,…
Three men have been convicted of a series of sexual offences, including rape, on a 12-year-old girl over a three-day period. Kevin Horvath and Ivan Turtak saw her in a supermarket car park in Dover on 11 August 2024 and encouraged her to get in their car. She was then given drugs, including…
A man who attacked a complete stranger at her home in Hastings, after forcing his way in, has been found guilty of rape and attempted rape.Jason Wren was seen by witnesses acting suspiciously outside the property in November 2024, while the woman was home alone. They described him as “making them…
A murderer has had his prison sentence extended, after the body of his wife, who went missing in 1999, was found at his former home.Andrew Griggs was convicted in October 2019 of murdering his wife Debbie, who was three months pregnant with their fourth child when she disappeared from their home in…
A convicted criminal has been found guilty of murdering the man he blamed for sending him to prison.Stephen Castle had a chance encounter with Wayne Woodgate in the centre of Tunbridge Wells on 17 October 2024 and was then seen by witnesses arguing with him, before driving off with him. Wayne’s…
A man who controlled women over a four-year period has been convicted of a string of charges, including rape, controlling or coercive behaviour, and actual bodily harm.Portsmouth Crown Court heard that George De Bathe, 25, would cut the victims off from their family and friends and control them in…
Press ReleaseViolent crimeDomestic abuseSexual offencesSouth East
Five men have been sentenced to a total of five years for their roles in running a vehicle “chop shop” in Surrey with the stolen vehicles and parts estimated to be worth around £750,000.High-value cars, including Porsches, Mercedes and BMWs were stolen from various parts of the UK by thieves…
A woman has been found guilty of murdering her husband, after his body was found in a holdall in the garden of the property where they lived in Canterbury, Kent.Jeremy Rickards, who was stabbed repeatedly in June 2024, was the victim of domestic abuse at the hands of his wife Maureen in the lead-up…
A man who murdered a lone woman walking her dog on an isolated footpath in Kent has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years.Harrison Lawrence-Van Pooss killed Claire Knights on 23 August 2023, as she walked back from the beach at Minnis Bay, Birchington. He sexually assaulted her and…
A man who caused the death of a woman in a high-speed crash has been jailed. Jack Cracknell, 22, was driving with four other passengers in his car in the early hours of the morning on 3 December 2022. Cracknell, of Faversham, Kent, reached speeds of 117mph as he drove along the New Dover…
Press ReleaseDriving offencesSouth East
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:
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Reactions and statements on trial outcomes;
Policy updates from the Director of Public Prosecutions and other prosecutors;
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Content that explains the role of the CPS and how we work
Highlighting of relevant work by our criminal justice partners and other stakeholders
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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.
