CPS - Key Persons
Adele joined the CPS in 1987, after working for the Finance and Rates Department of Chesterfield Borough Council. During her CPS career she has held various specialist roles, including finance and estates management. She has been an Area Business Manager since 1999, in Derbyshire and Northumbria.
She joined the East Midlands in 2007. She was the national lead for a review of our business centres.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor ( Crown Court )
Andrew joined the management team at CPS East Midlands in June 2017. He has held senior management positions for a number of years before that. In his early CPS career, he was a Crown Advocate.
He was Chief Crown Prosecutor (CCP) for Norfolk before the CPS was restructured, when he took on the role of Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for the East of England. He was Deputy CCP in London and at CPS Direct, the CPS's 24-hour charging service, including two spells as acting CCP.
He moved to CPS South West as DCCP to lead the Magistrates Court team in 2016, before being appointed to the East Midlands.
Job Titles:
- Director of Prosecution Policy & Inclusion
- Director of Strategy and Policy
Baljit Ubhey joined the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as a legal trainee in 1992 later qualifying as a prosecutor in London. Baljit has since held many roles including Chief Crown Prosecutor of CPS London.
In January 2017, Baljit was appointed as the Director of Prosecution Policy & Inclusion, leading a policy team within the CPS' operations directorate whilst leading on equality and inclusion across the service. In September 2019 Baljit became the Director of the Strategy and Policy Directorate.
In addition to her career with the CPS, Baljit has held a number of external roles such as non-executive director for BARTS and the Royal London Hospital and has worked with a number of charities.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor
Ben joined the West Midlands Area in November 2024 as a Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor. He has strategic responsibility for the Complex Casework Unit and Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit.
Ben qualified as a solicitor in 2003 and practised in criminal defence in the East Midlands. He joined CPS in 2008 as a Senior Crown Prosecutor and moved to the South West Region in 2013. He specialised in Complex Casework and was promoted to District Crown Prosecutor in 2017 with responsibility for the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit. He returned to the Complex Casework Unit as a District Crown Prosecutor in 2018 and led the Unit from 2021 as a Senior District Crown Prosecutor until his move to the West Midlands.
Job Titles:
- Inclusion and Community Engagement Manager
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor
DCCP Carly Hall has responsibility for the Crown Court and Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Units.
Carly joined the CPS in 2004, initially working in Hertfordshire CPS. Carly then moved to London CPS in 2005 working on a combined Magistrates' and Crown Court Unit before progressing to the London RASSO team when it was established in 2010 working on a number of high-profile cases including Operation Yewtree.
In 2014 Carly was promoted to Specialist Prosecutor and moved to the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division attached to Counter Terrorism Unit before moving to the ARU in 2016.
Following a promotion to DCP Carly moved to the East of England Area as part of the Magistrates' Court Unit before progressing to the Crown Court team to run the Essex Trials Unit in 2018.
In December 2020 Carly was promoted to SDCP initially as Unit Head for Magistrates' Court team before moving to the Crown Court Unit in September 2021. Since 3 January 2023, Carly has been the temporary DCCP for the Crown Court and RASSO Units.
Job Titles:
- Area Business Manager
- Head of North West Area Operations Centre
- ILM Level 7 Executive Coach
Caroline Staveley has worked for the CPS since January 1999 when she began her career as an administrator at the CPS Oldham office. Over the next few years she achieved a number of promotions to Caseworker, Branch Business Support Manager, Branch Business Manager and she also completed a period of temporary promotion as Senior Area Business Manager for Greater Manchester in 2009.
In 2010 Caroline was appointed as Head of North West Area Operations Centre and then as Business Change and Delivery Manager from February 2013. In April 2018 she was promoted to Area Business Manager for CPS North West with overall responsibility for the Operational Delivery and Business Operations for the North West Area.
Caroline is a qualified ILM Level 7 Executive Coach and a Chartered Member of CIPD.
Job Titles:
- Area Communications Manager
Job Titles:
- Area Communications Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Committee
- Director and Chair of the Risk & Audit Committee for Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance
- Founding Chair
- Member of the Audit & Risk Assurance Committee
Deborah is a member of the Audit & Risk Assurance Committee and an experienced non-executive.
Outside of the CPS, Deborah is a Director and Chair of the Risk & Audit committee for Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance and a Trustee and Chair of the Risk, Audit & Compliance Committee for The Children's Society, a national charity.
Deborah is also the founding Chair of the women empowerment network Lean In UK and is currently Deputy President of the London Society of Chartered Accountants, and a Council member of the ICAEW.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CPS Board
- Non - Executive Board Member Toggle Accordion
Dr Peter Kane has worked for over four decades in a range of senior executive and non-executive positions across central and local government and the NHS. A common thread has been a strong focus on economics, value for money and finance, building on his doctorate from the LSE and CIPFA accountancy qualification.
As a senior civil servant he held key roles in the Treasury, Cabinet Office and Home Office, where he worked closely with partners across the Criminal Justice System.
In local government, he was the Chief Economic Adviser in Hackney, and the Chamberlain of the City of London Corporation, the senior finance position, dating back to 1237. He was also Treasurer to the City of London Police.
After serving as a charity trustee of Community Links and CIPFA, he is currently a non-executive director of two NHS Trusts (and Chair of Audit) and the Education and Skills Agency. He is also a trustee of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and chairs its investment committee.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Committee
- Research Scientist
- Trustee
- Non - Executive Board Member Toggle Accordion
Subo trained as a research scientist, completing her PhD in Clinical Immunovirology at Imperial College London. She has held senior executive roles in the public and not-for-profit sectors as well as in a social enterprise and brings management and leadership experience from a 25-year career building and transforming organisations.
Subo has been a Trustee of three charities working in international development and education. She is also a Non-Executive Director for Southeast Coast Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust and Bromley Healthcare CIC using her clinical and education background to support the delivery of emergency, urgent and community care.
She is a trained senior leadership coach and mentor and has been a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy for 21 years.
Chief Crown Prosecutor Emma Davies is the head of CPS East of England and she is supported by Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Carly Hall, who has responsibility for the Crown Court and Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit. Susan Stovell is the Area Business Manager who has responsibility for Business and Operational Delivery functions across the region.
Emma studied law at Sheffield Hallam University before undertaking her Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice at the University of West of England. She qualified as a solicitor in 2007.
Emma was previously the Head of the Solicitor Team at the Public Defender Service and prior to joining the Civil Service was a partner in a national criminal law firm with responsibility for both crime and prison law work.
Emma joined CPS South West in September 2019 as Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor, where she was responsible for the Crown Court and Complex Casework Units. She was appointed Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS East of England in July 2024.
Chief Crown Prosecutor Gale Gilchrist is the head of the CPS North East Area.
Gale started her career in private practice and in 2002, after 10 years defending, joined the CPS as a Senior Crown Prosecutor. Gale then qualified as a Crown Advocate where she enjoyed a number of years doing advocacy in the Crown Court. Gale continued doing this work after joining the Complex Casework Unit, where she became Unit Head in 2013.
Gale moved to the CPS Specialist Fraud Division as a Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor in June 2017, where she worked for two years before spending three years as a Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor in CPS Yorkshire and Humberside. Gale returned home to CPS North East in August of 2022 to begin her current role as Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Area.
Job Titles:
- Area Communications Manager
Job Titles:
- Area Communications Manager
Job Titles:
- Director of Legal Services
Grace Ononiwu was appointed as Director of Legal Services within the Crown Prosecution Service in April 2021.
Grace qualified as a solicitor in 1991 and joined a private firm of solicitors practising criminal law.
She joined the CPS as a Crown Prosecutor and held a number of positions, which led to her appointment as Northamptonshire Chief Crown Prosecutor in April 2005, making her the first African Caribbean to be appointed as a Chief Crown Prosecutor in the history of the CPS.
In 2012, she was appointed Chief Crown Prosecutor for the East of England Region, and in 2014 appointed Chief Crown Prosecutor of the West Midlands Region, making her the first woman and first Black person to hold both posts. In the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours, Grace was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to Law and Order.
Job Titles:
- Area Communications Manager
Job Titles:
- Interim Chief People Officer
Helen has spent her career working in public sector HR in a number of roles, starting in Learning and Development, moving to Business Partnering and then into Strategic HR. In her current permanent role she is Deputy Director of People Development and Inclusion for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
She leads on the strategic approach to Organisational Development with thematic responsibility for HR strategy, Diversity and Inclusion, Learning and Development, Employee Experience, Wellbeing, People Change, Talent management and Senior Staffing.
She has been a Chartered Fellow of CIPD since 2005 and has a master's in strategic HR Management and Development from the University of Salford.
Helen is passionate about improving organisational culture and making the world of work a place where people feel included for who they are and supported to give their best contribution, she enjoys working across the people function and with organisational leaders, staff networks and trade unions to achieve that. She was appointed as Interim Chief People Officer in June 2024.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor
Holly joined CPS South East in November 2022 as the Senior District Crown Prosecutor for the Magistrates' Courts, before moving to the Crown Court team. In October 2024, she took on the role of Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor in the Crown Court and for our Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Team.
Holly has worked in the legal profession since 2002, qualifying as a solicitor in Australia before qualifying in the UK in 2006. Holly has worked for the Crown Prosecution Service in a number of roles, starting as a Specialist Prosecutor before being promoted to legal manager and then to Unit Head.
Holly was involved in preparing the CPS for the casework impact of Brexit and influenced external partners to work proactively to develop future casework tools, in addition to drafting regular contingency updates and Brexit Briefings setting out casework safeguarding measures, shared with public and private sector colleagues across the UK and Europe. Holly worked for the Director of Legal Services and was the lead of Case Progression, a key priority for the CPS.
Holly was also the Unit Head for the International Division where she led and managed the performance of a team of legal managers in the UK and Specialist Prosecutors in 17 overseas jurisdictions, working on international casework assistance and strategic, legislative and capacity building projects.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor
- North West CPS in 1998 As a Solicitor
Howard was appointed Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor (DCCP) of CPS West Midlands in November 2024 with responsibility for the Magistrates' Court.
Following a number of years working within the Courts Service, Howard joined the North West CPS in 1998 as a solicitor.
Howard first became a CPS manager in 2005 and has subsequent experience of being a Senior District Crown Prosecutor in several teams during his career, including area Crown Court and RASSO units and more recently, the Complex Casework Unit.
Howard has vast experience across the full range of offence types and has led the area on issues such as joint enterprise homicide, disclosure, international enquires, organised criminal gangs, cyber and economic crime. Howard has also advised upon and prosecuted many cases with a national profile.
Howard has recently been involved in national work on joint enterprise homicide and presented at this year's International Crime conference.
Job Titles:
- Area Business Manager
- Senior Area Business Manager for Northumbria
Ian Brown is the Area Business Manager, with overall responsibility for Business and Operational Delivery functions across the region.
Ian joined the CPS in 2008 as Senior Area Business Manager for Northumbria. He has a background in engineering and brings with him many years' experience in senior leadership roles in the private sector.
Ian is responsible for the business functions of the Area, monitoring performance and overseeing staff management. Working alongside our Chief Crown Prosecutor Gale Gilchrist, his role is to ensure the appropriate resources are in place for the CPS to operate effectively and efficiently.
Job Titles:
- Area Communications Manager
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor
Janet was admitted as a solicitor in 1988. After four years in private practice undertaking criminal defence work she joined the Merseyside Crown Prosecution Service and spent nine years as a Senior Crown Prosecutor. In 2001 she was promoted to Prosecution Team Leader on the Mersey North Branch and managed a number of teams between 2001 and 2008, becoming temporary Senior District Crown Prosecutor for Mersey North in 2008.
Janet became the District Crown Prosecutor for the newly formed co-located rape and serious sexual assault unit in Liverpool in 2010, later setting up a similar unit in Cheshire. As the Area Rape Coordinator she worked closely with partner agencies and the police to bring about improvements in witness care and the quality of prosecutions.
In 2012 Janet became District Crown Prosecutor for the Mersey/Cheshire Crown Court Team as well as retaining the management of the RASSO teams. In 2013 she was promoted to Head of the Mersey/Cheshire Complex Casework Unit (CCU) and was also the Area Lead for Disclosure. Janet was seconded to the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division of the CPS in 2015 as Unit Head of the Hillsborough Team, which had responsibility for charging and prosecuting a number of defendants with criminal offences arising from the Hillsborough disaster and its aftermath.
In 2017 she was appointed as Deputy Head of Specialist Fraud Division, responsible for prosecuting serious economic crime and in June 2020 she moved to North West Area as Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor with responsibility for the RASSO team and the Complex Casework Unit.
Chief Crown Prosecutor Janine McKinney leads CPS East Midlands and she is supported by Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutors Karen Thompson, who has responsibility for our Magistrates' Court team, Andrew Baxter, who has responsibility for the Crown Court teams, and Rape and Serious Sexual Offences and Complex Casework Units. Adele Clarke is the Area Business Manager and has responsibility for Business and Operational Delivery functions across the region.
Janine was admitted as a solicitor in 1989 following articles in Leicester. After a year in private practice, Janine joined Nottinghamshire CPS as a Crown Prosecutor in January 1991 and two years later became a Senior Crown Prosecutor.
In 2003 she was promoted to District Crown Prosecutor with responsibility for one of the Magistrates' Court teams and then in 2009 took on responsibility for the whole of the Magistrates' Court team. Janine was named Nottinghamshire Law Society ‘Solicitor of the Year' in 2012 for her work to improve performance across the criminal justice system in the Magistrates Courts.
Janine moved to Derbyshire as Senior District Crown Prosecutor and became SDCP for the Magistrates' Court in 2012. Appointed Deputy CCP in July 2013, she was also champion for hate crime, victims and custody time limits.
She became Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Area in October 2015. She is also the national CCP lead for road traffic offences.
Job Titles:
- Inclusion and Community and Engagement Manager
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor
Joanne joined CPS in 2001 as a Senior Crown Prosecutor, after working as a Legal Adviser in the Courts Service.
As a Senior Crown Prosecutor Joanne gained experience in both the magistrates' and Crown Court teams, dealing with a wide range of cases and qualified as a Crown Advocate. In 2008 she joined the CPS North West Complex Casework Unit (NW CCU) and subsequently took up the role of Deputy Head of the Unit in 2013. In 2015 Joanne set up the North West Rape and Serious Sexual Offence Unit and was promoted to Unit Head.
Joanne became a temporary Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor in 2018 and in 2019 was successful in becoming a Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West on a permanent basis. Joanne is responsible for Crown Court casework for the North West Area.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor
Judith joined CPS South East in May 2023 as Temporary Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor. Prior to this, she was Head of the pan-London Complex Casework Unit from 2019 and has previously been a Temporary DCCP in the East of England.
Judith joined the CPS as an A2 in 1988, before being sponsored through her Legal Practice Course by the CPS and qualifying as a solicitor in 1996. She worked as a prosecutor before moving into legal management roles.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Member of the CPS Board
- Chief Operating Officer Toggle Accordion
- DVLA in 2014 As Director of Strategy, Policy and Communications
Julie Lennard is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Crown Prosecution Service, taking up post in November 2024.
She is responsible for overseeing transformation and improvement within the Crown Prosecution Service, working closely with our partners to direct significant change across the criminal justice system. Julie also sets the overall strategy for our corporate functions - including finance, people, and digital.
Julie joined the CPS from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), where she was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from March 2018. During her time as CEO, Julie led the digital and business transformation of one of the UK's biggest multi-channel service organisations, with more than 52 million customers, more than 6,000 employees, and almost £8 billion in revenue collected for His Majesty's Government per year.
Julie initially joined the DVLA in 2014 as Director of Strategy, Policy and Communications, where she was responsible for delivering the organisation's business strategy and policy development.
Before the DVLA, Julie worked in several roles at The National Archives, and prior to that she worked for Which?, the largest consumer organisation in Europe.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor ( Magistrates Court )
Karen has built her career in the CPS starting out as an administrator when the CPS was first established in 1986. She qualified as a solicitor in the early 1990s and has moved around the East Midlands in different management roles, including managing the team serving Lincolnshire.
In November 2013, she set up and led a Proceeds of Crime team at the request of the Chief Executive and has led the Area's work in relation to the abolition of committals, the implementation of Better Case Management and the Crown Court standard operating practices. She has been the Area legal lead, custody time limits champion, violence against women and girls lead and led the systems and processes work streams during the Area restructure for the Crown Court.
She became temporary Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor in 2015 and took on leadership of the Magistrates Court in May 2017.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Committee
- Non - Executive Board Member Toggle Accordion
- Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
Kathryn has spent more than 40 years of her career in public service. In 2007 she was awarded an OBE for services to people with learning disabilities whilst Chief Executive of national charity Voice UK.
Appointed as the Commissioner for the Victims and Survivors in Northern Ireland in 2012, she gave a voice to the victims of the Troubles and oversaw the transformation of services for their support.
In 2014, she became a Commissioner for the Independent Police Complaints Commission, with responsibility for seven police forces in the Midlands and the North.
In 2016, Kathryn took up the role of Chief Legal Ombudsman of England and Wales.
Since January 2018 Kathryn has been the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, an independent officer of the House of Commons. In September 2022 Kathryn was appointed as Chair of the Bar Standards Board.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor
Katie joined the Crown Prosecution Service in 2008 as a Senior Crown Prosecutor, after working in private practice undertaking criminal defence work. As a Senior Crown Prosecutor Katie gained experience in the Magistrates' Court, Crown Court and Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Units. In 2016 she joined CPS North East as a District Crown Prosecutor, responsible for the Rape and Serious Offence Unit in Newcastle.
In 2018 Katie returned to CPS North West and was promoted to Senior District Crown Prosecutor with responsibility for the Lancashire and Cumbria Crown Unit, moving over to Greater Manchester Crown Court Unit in the same role in 2020.
Katie became a temporary Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor in 2022 and, in 2024, was successful in becoming a Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West on a permanent basis and is responsible for all Magistrates' Court cases in the North West Area.
Job Titles:
- Area Communications Manager
Job Titles:
- Area Business Manager
- the Area Business Manager
Kirsty is the Area Business Manager (ABM) for CPS South East. She joined the CPS in July 2001 as a contractor for the Customer Services Department (CSD). Kirsty worked for the CSD for two years.
In 2003 Kirsty joined Business Information Systems (BIS) Directorate as a Business Support Manager and a year later she became a Resource Manager. From 2006 to 2015 Kirsty worked for CPS London in many roles including Area Finance Manager, Project Manager, then District Business Manager, before becoming the Senior Business Manager in 2012.
In 2015 Kirsty was seconded as the Senior Business Manager for CPS South East and a year later became the Area Business Manager. Kirsty joined CPS Proceeds of Crime in September 2019 as the Area Business Manager (ABM) and later became the Area Business Manager for CPS London South in January 2022. She joined CPS South East in November 2024.
Kirsty is responsible for determining and delivering operational strategy (including financial, people and performance) leading the change programme, implementing operational change, managing business performance, and working with stakeholders to develop the CJS wider performance.
Kris became Chief Crown Prosecutor of CPS South East in June 2024.
He was called to the Bar in 1989 and is a specialist in youth and in rape and serious sexual offence (RASSO) cases, as well as a Crown Advocate.
He has worked in a number of units in London throughout his career and led a team overseeing complex cases in the capital before being appointed a Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor (DCCP) in CPS South East in 2014. In this role, Kris had overall responsibility for all RASSO and Crown Court cases and also led on rolling out the Better Case Management initiative.
In 2017 Kris re-joined the CPS in London as DCCP, heading up London South's Magistrates' Court unit, with a specific brief as the lead on hate crime. In 2021 Kris moved over to lead the London South RASSO team and the pan-London Complex Casework Unit (CCU), before returning to CPS South East as Chief Crown Prosecutor.
He is also the national CPS lead on protest cases.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications
- Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations
Lisa leads the Communications Directorate which is responsible for delivering the communications strategy in support of the CPS's mission and strategic aims.
Prior to joining the CPS, Lisa has held communications leadership roles in a range of international private and regional public sector organisations. This includes six years working in policing, most recently leading the communications team at West Midlands Police, England's second biggest police service.
She brings experience of leading communication strategies to support cultural change programmes, employee engagement activity and business transformation programmes, as well as crisis management.
Lisa is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
Job Titles:
- Chief Digital and Information Officer ( Interim )
- Executive Group Member
Matthew joined the CPS in 2022 and leads the Digital and Information Directorate.
As Chief Digital and Information Officer, Matthew is the executive group member responsible for all the organisation's technology, digital transformation, security, and information management. His focus is on building user-centred teams with security at the heart of everything we do.
Matthew previously built an award-winning customer services, digital and data team in the London Borough of Hackney. He co-founded a social media research agency providing services to global brands. He has also served as a trustee of a national arts organisation.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Committee
- Non - Executive Director, Audit Chair and Senior Independent Director of London & Continental Railways Limited
Michael is currently a Non-Executive Director, Audit Chair and Senior Independent Director of London & Continental Railways Limited (LCR Properties) which works between the public and private sectors to develop housing projects with transport elements. He is also Non-Executive Director and Senior Independent Director of Storm Housing Group. He has previously served as Non-executive and Chair of Audit and Risk on the board of the Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing Association and as Non-Executive Chair of Metworks.
A Chartered Accountant with senior finance and risk experience in property, construction, treasury, regulated businesses and investor relations, he was formerly Chief Financial Officer of the regeneration specialist St Modwen Properties plc and of the support service provider May Gurney Integrated Services plc.
Michael joined the Crown Prosecution Service Audit and Risk Committee in November 2021.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Committee
- Member of the CPS Board
- Lead Non - Executive Board Member and Chair Toggle Accordion
Monica has had a long and distinguished legal career, retiring as chair and senior partner at Addleshaw Goddard LLP in 2016. As a lawyer, she practised in the fields of commercial litigation and international arbitration, advising on a wide range of claims in a number of jurisdictions. In 2010, Monica was appointed a Recorder of civil cases.
In addition to Chairing the CPS Board, Monica sits on the Nominations, Leadership and Remuneration Committee. She is also a non-executive director at Lloyds underwriter Ark Syndicate Management Limited and at Argenta Private Capital Limited, a Non-Executive Director of law firm Shoosmiths LLP and a member of the Advisory Council of The Mentoring Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation assisting women to reach the top of large organisations.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor
Naheed qualified as a solicitor in 1986. She joined CPS Thames Valley as a Crown Prosecutor in 1989, before moving to CPS Yorkshire in 1990 as a Senior Crown Prosecutor. Naheed dealt with the full range of casework in both the magistrates' and crown courts. Naheed specialised in youth work, hate crime and later worked as a Crown Advocate.
Naheed moved to managing legal teams as a District Crown Prosecutor in 2004 and played a key role in the first Hate Crime Scrutiny Panel. In 2006, Naheed was promoted to the post of Senior District Crown Prosecutor and headed up the City of Manchester Branch, where she set up the first specialist unit dealing with sexual offences. In 2009 Naheed was appointed Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS South Yorkshire, under the previous 42 Area structure.
Upon the move to the current 13 Area structure, Naheed took up the post of Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor in CPS Wales, before moving to CPS London in 2012 with responsibility for Crown Court North. In 2013 Naheed moved to the Operations Directorate as Programme Director, initially working on the Single Fraud Investigation Service Project with the Department of Work and Pensions and then on the Serious Casework Review.
Naheed moved to the Specialist Fraud Division, as Deputy Head of Division responsible for the London teams in 2015. Between 2017 and 2024 Naheed worked in CPS Headquarters in the Operations Directorate and led the team of prosecutors responsible for delivering national legal training across the service.
Naheed joined CPS North West in July 2024 and has responsibility for CPS crown advocates and the Area's legal trainees.
Job Titles:
- Director of Legal Services ( Interim )
Nick started his career as a Barrister prosecuting and defending criminal cases. He spent three years working for the Criminal Cases Review Commission, and subsequently joined the CPS in 2002. After management positions in CPS Hampshire, Staffordshire and West Midlands, Nick was appointed as temporary Chief Crown Prosecutor of CPS North Wales in 2011.
In 2012 Nick became Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor of CPS West Midlands where he was responsible for the Crown Court division of the Area. In 2014, Nick was appointed Chief Crown Prosecutor of the Proceeds of Crime Division, subsequently transferring to become Chief Crown Prosecutor of the International Justice and Organised Crime Division in 2018. Nick transferred to head up the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division in May 2021 and became Interim Director of Legal Services in May 2024.
Rachel is our Area Business Manager and has responsibility for delivering the operational business across our Area.
As well as having oversight of all our business functions, Rachel is responsible for staff and financial management, performance monitoring and the implementation of all our operational business systems. Working alongside our chief crown prosecutor, Rachel's role is to ensure the appropriate resources are in place for our Area team to operate effectively and efficiently.
Rachel began her career with the CPS in 2002; she joined us as an administrator and has held a variety of roles since then including case progression manager, branch manager, head of the Area operations centre, and business change and delivery manager. She took on her current role at CPS West Midlands in 2023.
Job Titles:
- Inclusion and Community Engagement Manager
Sarah is the Chief Crown Prosecutor (CCP) for CPS Mersey-Cheshire
Sarah qualified as a solicitor in 1996 and joined CPS in 1998 having previously worked as a Magistrates' Legal Adviser. During her time at CPS, she obtained her higher rights, and undertook advocacy in both Magistrates' and Crown Courts across the West Midlands region.
She was the Area's Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) lead and enjoyed being involved in this area of work for many years representing the CPS at conferences and community forums to share the work of CPS in tackling these offences. Sarah was involved in implementing the Violence Against Women and Girls Scrutiny Panel and Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts locally and was chair of the VAWG Local Scrutiny and Improvement Panel.
Sarah became a District Crown Prosecutor in 2013, initially managing a Crown Court team before moving to lead the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team. In 2016, Sarah became a Senior District Crown Prosecutor with responsibility for Crown Court work before being promoted to Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS West Midlands in 2018. She was appointed CCP for Mersey-Cheshire in July 2024.
Sarah joined the CPS in 2002 as the Area Business Manager for Avon and Somerset.
In August 2007 Sarah was promoted to Senior Area Business Manager for the South West, still retaining responsibility for Avon and Somerset. Following a CPS restructure in April 2011, Sarah became Area Business Manager for CPS South West.
Prior to joining the CPS, Sarah worked in the private sector in financial services for over 13 years as a senior leader for a large international insurance company with responsibility for technical services, pension schemes and complaints.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor
Sean is Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor with responsibility for the Crown Court Unit.
Sean qualified as a solicitor in 2002 and joined the Civil Service in 2003. He previously worked in private commercial and criminal practice.
He was appointed as District Crown Prosecutor in 2012, Senior District Crown Prosecutor in 2018, and Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor in 2021.
Sean presently holds the regional portfolio for Violence against Women and Girls and the national portfolio for all British Transport Police prosecutions.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Committee
Job Titles:
- Chief
- Chief Crown Prosecutor
Chief Crown Prosecutor Siobhan Blake is the head of the CPS West Midlands Region. She is supported by by Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor (DCCP) Sean Kyne, who is responsible for the Crown Court Unit as well as holding the regional portfolio for Violence against Women and Girls and the national portfolio for all British Transport Police prosecutions, DCCP Howard Gough, who has responsibility for the Magistrates' Court Unit and DCCP Ben Samples, who is responsible for the Complex Casework Unit and Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit. Rachel Gilbert is the Area Business Manager and has responsibility for Business and Operational Delivery functions across the region.
Siobhan Blake was appointed Chief Crown Prosecutor (CCP) of CPS West Midlands in March 2021, having previously been the Chief Crown Prosecutor of Mersey-Cheshire since 2016. Before this, she was Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for Cymru-Wales Area for four years.
Siobhan qualified as a solicitor having studied law at Southampton and joined the CPS in 1994 as a trainee solicitor. After qualification Siobhan worked in private practice for a period before returning to the CPS.
Siobhan is an experienced prosecutor who has advised upon and prosecuted many high-profile cases, becoming a specialist in the prosecution of rape and serious sexual offences. She obtained her Higher Rights of Audience in 2004 and became a frontline manager in 2005.
Siobhan has been at the forefront of the work undertaken by the CPS to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) - domestic violence, rape and other violent offences in which the victims are predominantly women. She is now the National CCP Lead for the CPS on rape and serious sexual offence prosecutions.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Committee
- Member of the CPS Board
- Director of Public Prosecutions
Stephen Parkinson is the Director of Public Prosecutions. He was appointed by the Attorney General and took up post on 1 November 2023.
Stephen studied law at University College London, before qualifying as a barrister in 1980 and as a solicitor in 2005.
He began his legal career in 1984 as a junior prosecutor at the Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions, which became the CPS in 1986. He progressed to Assistant Branch Crown Prosecutor roles and later established and led the CPS' International Co-operation Unit.
Stephen subsequently held roles across Government, including positions in the Treasury Solicitor's Department, where he was responsible for most of the Government's regulatory litigation, and the Department of Trade and Industry, where he headed a team providing legal advice in live company investigations. For four years from 1999, Stephen was Deputy Head of the Attorney General's Office.
For the past 20 years, Stephen has been a practising defence lawyer. He became Head of Criminal Practice at the law firm Kingsley Napley in 2006, going on to become Senior Partner at the firm in 2018. Representing a range of clients, Stephen developed an extensive practice advising on, or undertaking, investigations for organisations, companies, and individuals.
Steve is the Chief Finance Officer (CFO) of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) taking up post in May 2021.
He is a member of the CPS Executive Group (EG) and Chair of the CPS Investment Committee (IC) and is also an independent member of the Royal Navy (RN) Audit Committee.
Steve has held senior financial and commercial posts across government at DWP, The Child Maintenance & Enforcement Commission and Jobcentre Plus.
Steve began his career working for the BT Group Plc where he qualified as a Chartered Global Management Accountant.
Susan joined the CPS in 1986 and worked across a range of roles including finance, personnel and accommodation within the London North Area. In 1992 Susan moved to the HQ Directorate in CPS Headquarters working within specialist fields including pay strategy and negotiations, appraisal, policy and operations.
In 2003, Susan joined the East of England Area and is now the Area Business Manager with responsibilities for both strategic and operational performance.
Job Titles:
- Chief
- Chief Crown Prosecutor
Suzanne Llewellyn was appointed as Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West in June 2024.
Suzanne's career in the CPS began as a legal trainee in 1991 in the West Midlands Area. She quickly developed her advocacy skills to become a Senior Crown Prosecutor and qualify as a Crown Advocate. During this time, Suzanne gained extensive experience from prosecuting a diverse range of cases before the Magistrates' and Crown Courts across the Midlands region.
Suzanne's move into management has seen her take responsibility for Magistrates', Crown Court and Complex Casework teams, leading to her being appointed as the Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for West Midlands, a post she held for eight years. Following periods as the Acting Chief Crown Prosecutor for the West Midlands, Suzanne was appointed the Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Wessex in 2021. From August 2023 until early 2025, Suzanne additionally took command of CPS Direct, the CPS's national out-of-hours service.
In her senior leadership role, Suzanne has developed strong working relationships with a wide range of Police Forces, including West Midlands, Staffordshire, West Mercia, Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Wiltshire and British Transport Police (BTP) and more recently with the forces of Cumbria, Lancashire and Greater Manchester. Whilst serving in the Wessex region Suzanne also developed close links with the Military and the Service Prosecution Authority.
Suzanne's role as Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Direct saw her working with all English and Welsh Police Forces, to provide out-of-hours charging and secure the successful roll-out of the new charging model.
Throughout her career, Suzanne has led significant organisational change programmes, including Transforming Criminal Justice and Better Case Management, development of the Crown Court operating model, the COVID recovery response and development of a streamlined approach to bring prosecutions for all BTP investigations into CPS West Midlands region. She also developed the operating model to establish an Organised Crime and Serious Violence Unit to tackle homicide and organised crime and most recently the roll-out of the national charging model.
Job Titles:
- Director of Operational Change and Delivery ( Interim )
As the Director of Operational Change and Delivery, Tristan has responsibility for the performance and continuous improvement of operations across the CPS. He leads our Operations Directorate which has the responsibility for operational change, court business, performance management, operational compliance and assurance, legal and operational training, continuous improvement and operational effectiveness.
He is also the CPS Head of Profession for Operational Delivery and leads the Business Delivery Group.
Tristan has worked for the CPS for most of his career in a range of roles across Operational Units, CPS national headquarters, as part of a CJS multi-agency project team, as a Senior Business Manager in CPS London, as the Area Business Manager for CPS West Midlands, and Deputy Director of Operational Delivery.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor
Victoria qualified as a solicitor in 2002 and worked as a criminal defence advocate in Hampshire, becoming the youngest associate partner in a 16 partner firm.
Victoria joined the CPS in 2005 as a Senior Crown Prosecutor, was promoted to District Crown Prosecutor in 2007, managing the Magistrates' Court Unit in Portsmouth before taking responsibility for the Crown Court Unit in Dorset in 2009. In 2010 she gained temporary promotion to the role of Chief Crown Prosecutor for Gloucestershire.
Following a CPS restructure in April 2011, Victoria was appointed acting Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for the South West with responsibility for Gloucestershire and the former Avon area, a post she secured permanently in October 2011.
In December 2018 Victoria was appointed to the post of Chief Crown Prosecutor, CPS South West.