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 Twitter hacker who breached the accounts of celebrities including Barack Obama and Jeff Bezos has been forced to hand over £4million.Joseph James O’Connor, 26, was jailed in the US for the hacks which involved scamming people out of Bitcoin and threatening celebrities with the release of personal…
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…
A leader of a criminal gang and her accomplice have been jailed for playing key roles in laundering money from a high value investment fraud committed in China.Zhimin Qian (aka Yadi Zhang), 47, Chinese national, was sentenced to 11 years and eight months imprisonment after pleading guilty to two…
Caroline’s death was a tragedy; our thoughts remain with her friends and family as they continue to come to terms with their loss.Caroline was charged with assault by battery following an alleged incident of domestic violence against her boyfriend that took place at her home address in the early…
UPDATED WITH SENTENCE: On Friday, 7 November 2025 Howard Phillips was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court to seven years' imprisonment for engaging in conduct to assist a foreign intelligence service. A man who wanted to help the Russian Intelligence Service by leaking private information…
A man who murdered a ‘Good Samaritan’ who stepped in to help other victims following a violent brawl at the defendant’s sister’s wedding reception in Sheffield has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 26 years.Hassan Jhangur, 25, was found guilty after a trial at Sheffield…
Press ReleaseViolent crimeCPSYorkshire and Humberside
The CPS has today announced Anthony Williams, 32, has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder, one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one count of possession of a bladed article following an incident on a LNER train from Doncaster to London on Saturday 01 November, 2025…
An Islamic convert who plotted to attack the Jewish community has been convicted of multiple terrorism offences. Jordan Richardson, 21, had written notes which detailed plans for an attack and instructions on how to make mustard gas. He was convicted of six terrorism charges at…
Three men who were involved in the fatal shooting of a County Durham grandfather have been found guilty of murder at Teesside Crown Court today (31 October).The group were convicted of the murder of 60-year-old Barry Dawson at his home in Elm Street, Stanley in April of this year.Sean Reay, 30, of…
A violent domestic abuser who stabbed his pregnant girlfriend to death after a furious row in which he told her to “get an abortion” has been sentenced to life in jail with a minimum term of 42 years.Shaine March, 47, of Lewisham, South East London, stabbed Alana Odysseos to death at her home in…
Press ReleaseDomestic abuseViolent crimeCPSLondon North
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.
