CPS News Centre

Criminal cases prosecuted by the CPS are in the news every day, along with a range of issues relating to our work – from violence against women and girls and hate crime, to support for victims and witnesses, statistics and speeches.

To ensure greater openness in the reporting of criminal proceedings, the CPS, the police and media representatives developed a joint protocol for working together.

Here you can find our latest news stories and search for others. You can also find additional details about a number of high-profile cases and the work of the CPS.

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Media enquiries

National, international and specialist media should contact the main 24-hour press office.

Local media should contact their Area Communications Manager during normal working hours.

Prison sentence in first cyberflashing case

Nicholas Hawkes, 39, the first person to be convicted of cyber-flashing, has been sentenced to a total of 66 weeks in prison.

19 March 2024 | Press Release , Sexual offences , CPS, East of England News

CPS leaders welcome final findings of academic report into prosecution of rape

CPS leaders have welcomed the final findings of an academic report looking into the organisation’s handling of the prosecution of rape.

12 March 2024 | Press Release , Sexual offences , CPS News

Dark web child abuse forum administrators jailed

The second moderator of a dark web forum for sharing indecent pictures of children to be jailed within a week has today received five years and four months in prison.

19 February 2024 | Press Release , Sexual offences , CPS News

Former Essex Police officer guilty of filming sexual assault after night out

A former Essex Police officer has been convicted of sexually assaulting a woman after a night out and filming it.

15 February 2024 | Press Release , Sexual offences , CPS, East of England News

More to do to tackle rape misconceptions and lack of understanding of consent, CPS survey finds

More still needs to be done to tackle common false beliefs about rape and understanding of consent, especially among young people, according to the largest survey of its kind in five years.

26 January 2024 | Press Release , Sexual offences , CPS News

Serious sex offender who used false identities to blackmail women and children online jailed

A man who blackmailed women and children into engaging in degrading sexual acts has today been jailed.

19 January 2024 | Press Release , Sexual offences, International and organised crime , CPS News

Q2 CPS data shows a continued increase in the number of suspects charged in rape-flagged cases

Between July and September last year, there was a 11.5% increase in the number of suspects charged in adult rape-flagged cases from 599 in Q1 23/24 to 668 in Q2 23/24.

18 January 2024 | Press Release , Sexual offences , CPS News

Convicted sex offender jailed two more years for assaulting teenage girl

A sex offender who assaulted a teenage girl after stealing her phone from her has been jailed for two more years.

14 December 2023 | Press Release , Sexual offences, International and organised crime , CPS News

Rapist who targeted sleeping passenger on London Underground service jailed for 14 years

A dangerous predator who raped a sleeping passenger on a London Underground service has been jailed for 14 years.

Ryan Johnston, 37, launched his attack after targeting the woman who was returning home from an evening out with friends in February 2020.

08 December 2023 | Press Release , Sexual offences , CPS, West Midlands News

Man who posed as model agency scout to blackmail children into sending him indecent images jailed

A man who blackmailed children into sending him indecent images of themselves over social media has today been jailed.

07 December 2023 | Press Release , Sexual offences, International and organised crime , CPS News

Search CPS News

In-depth - a deeper look at high-profile cases and the work of the CPS

'You can trust me, I'm a police officer' couldn't be further from the truth
How 13 women's testimonies secured the fate of serial rapist David Carrick
How a criminal case works
From reporting to appeals - how a criminal case works, end-to-end.
How we make our decisions
How does the CPS make the decision to prosecute - or not?
Our criminal justice partners
We don't just work with the police - here's a look at our many partners within the criminal justice system.
Transforming our service to victims at the CPS
Being a victim of crime can be deeply traumatic, and for those who find themselves in the criminal justice system the process can feel overwhelming, unfamiliar, and incredibly challenging.

Articles and speeches

Read articles and speeches from the CPS on matters of relevance to the Criminal Justice System

Articles and Speeches

CPS Says

The CPS position on major issues in the news, our response to inaccuracies in media reports and our letters to the media.

CPS Says...

Contacts: National media

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 call the General Enquiries line: 020 3357 0899 or 020 3357 0000 (09:00-17:00, Monday-Friday) or 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.

Contacts: Local media

Cymru/Wales
Richard Paull
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 02920 803950

East Midlands
Graham Buchanan
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0115 852 3343

East of England
Gillian Andrews
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01245 455027

London (North and South)
Wendy Wyeth or Molly Barker
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 02380 673873

Mersey-Cheshire
Jackie Rand
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0151 239 6334

North East
Chris Black
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0191 260 4216

North West
Kerry Bell
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0161 827 4705

South East
Cheryl Pendry
Email: [email protected]
Telephones: 01227 655862 / 07876 390054

South West
Gary Cockram
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0117 930 2968

Thames and Chiltern
Angie Patton
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01189 513625

Wessex
Wessex Communications
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 02380 673873

West Midlands
Kofo Baptist
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0203 357 0625

Yorkshire and Humberside
Elizabeth Ogborn
Email: [email protected]
Telephones: 0113 290 2839 / 07500 835186

Our social media policy

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.

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