My role as a senior crown prosecutor

My background

My background might not typically be associated with a lawyer. I was raised by a single mother in Leeds, I went to state schools and never saw myself as someone who was smart enough to be a lawyer.

At 18 years old, I decided to take myself off to university. I went to a non-redbrick university and studied Applied Criminal Justice. I took a criminal law module during my second year which sparked the idea for me to become a solicitor. My goal was to join the Crown Prosecution Service, so I completed my Graduate Diploma in Law which converted my undergraduate degree to a law degree and went on to complete my Legal Practice Course whilst working as a property paralegal. I then qualified as a Chartered Legal Executive in property law and was able cross-qualify as a solicitor.

My route to becoming a solicitor is not the most conventional, but it gave me different experiences that I brought with me when I joined the Crown Prosecution Service back in 2021. I started as a crown prosecutor in the Cambridgeshire and Norfolk areas of the East of England, working in the magistrates’ court unit. I became a senior crown prosecutor in 2022, before eventually moving to the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) unit in 2024.

My inspiration

I’ve always had an innate drive to get justice for victims. I want to make a difference somehow, in whatever small way I can. I’m particularly passionate about providing justice to victims of sexual offences, so when I qualified as a lawyer I knew I wanted to join the RASSO unit within the Crown Prosecution Service. That dream is now a reality – I work on RASSO cases and have seen my decisions find justice for victims of these crimes.

My typical day

Each day as a senior crown prosecutor in RASSO is slightly different. I may need to spend time working on cases to meet deadlines set by the court. I check the status of any custody cases and complete any work needed on them. I respond to any urgent emails and I run a full case load with a task list on our case management system. I may also spend the day reviewing a case to determine whether it can be charged – this involves reviewing all the evidence and unused material to determine if there is a reasonable prospect of conviction. RASSO cases can be so large that depending on the complexity or number of victims they can take many days to review. In between dealing with these, I receive calls from the police, queries from Counsel about other cases or pleas offered, and I have meetings to attend online or in person at local police stations. It is a varied and mixed role and one that I thoroughly enjoy.

My biggest learning

Starting as a crown prosecutor with no criminal experience was a big learning curve, but the training at the Crown Prosecution Service is second to none and the legal guidance is a game changer. I think my biggest learning to date is moving from the magistrates’ court into the RASSO unit. This is not something I did lightly as it’s a huge leap, but I had already begun to work on sexual offences and taken RASSO training courses before joining. It is a huge task but one that I’m thankful I completed.

Working in the East of England

I thoroughly enjoy working in the East of England. I think it’s one of the more unique areas in that it comes with all sorts of challenges – from rural Norfolk to the bustle of Essex. The East of England really is a diverse and large area. We cover cases in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. The rural areas bring their own challenges in the form of wildlife crimes and even dealing with matters linked to the Royal Estate in Norfolk. The cities bring the anti-social behaviour and Essex being close to London brings with it protest cases. The work in the East of England is very varied and you will never be bored!