CPS News Brief

CPS staff recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours

HONOURED: From left, Helen Phillips, Ed Beltrami and Ruona Iguyovwe.

 

Three members of CPS staff have been recognised today (17 June) in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours list for their hard work and years of service to the organisation. 

Ed Beltrami, Chief Crown Prosecutor, has been made a CBE for services to law and order in CPS Cymru Wales, in particular for being a driving force behind the implementation of the Better Case Management (BCM) programme. It is part of a wider digital initiative to streamline the delivery of justice by reducing the workload, improving performance and providing a better service to victims and witnesses in the Crown Court.  Through his positive approach and personal commitment, he won the confidence and backing of the senior judiciary, with whom he worked closely.  As a result of this, many courts now secure a resolution of half of their cases at the initial hearing. During this time, Ed oversaw prosecutions in the high-profile Operation Pallial investigation into claims of historic child sexual abuse in North Wales care homes.

Ed Beltrami said: 

“I have always regarded working for the Crown Prosecution Service as an immense privilege. Hard working professionals who are dedicated to the delivery of justice operate at all levels of the organisation and it is an honour to serve alongside them. Receiving this honour is more a testament to their abilities and to the support and guidance colleagues have given to me throughout my career.”

Earlier this year, Ed Beltrami took up his new role as the Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS London North. Ed started working for the CPS in 1988.

Ruona Iguyovwe, Senior Specialist Prosecutor in the International Justice and Organised Crime Division, has been made an OBE for her work as Chair of the National Black Crown Prosecutors Association (NBCPA). Ruona, who has been working for the CPS since 1992, was elected as chair of the NBCPA four years ago and has worked tirelessly to support and promote equal opportunities in the CPS.  In her role she has organised annual conferences, tackling such subjects as female genital mutilation, honour-based crime and Islamophobia. Through her contribution to the development of HR inclusion priorities, the NBCPA won the Race for Opportunity Award for Public Sector Employee Network of the Year.  Also through her leadership, the NBCPA has influenced the development, implementation and evaluation of policies in the CPS, particularly in relation to hate crime. Under her leadership the NBCPA has developed a successful training and mentoring programme, for which she won a national award, and it is recognised as one of the best in the Civil Service.

Ruona Iguyovwe said:

“This Award is a great honour for me to receive and I am grateful to my colleagues, managers, members of the NBCPA, law enforcement and community partners who have over the years helped to support me in my role as a Senior Specialist Prosecutor and my work as Chair of the National Black Crown Prosecution Association. The CPS is a great employer that truly values and promotes diversity and allows everyone to make a valuable contribution regardless of their background or personal characteristics”. 

Helen Phillips, Business Change and Delivery Manager CPS Cymru Wales, has been made an OBE for services to law and order in Wales.  As the digital lead for the area she has helped to modernise the way the service works through the successful introduction of digital working. This has included the successful implementation of the Crown Court Digital Case System and Better Case Management in the Crown Court together with HMCTS partners.  Helen led on the reintroduction of early charging advice to South Wales Police, resulting in cases being progressed more quickly, with better quality decisions and improved multi-agency working. During her time as Area Business Manager for Gwent, Helen introduced the concept of CPS staff working jointly with police staff in a Witness Care Unit. This was a precursor to the National "No Witness No Justice" initiative and subsequently informed the successful implementation of joint CPS/Police Witness Care Units across England and Wales. 

Helen Phillips said: 

“I’m delighted to have been nominated for this honour, but nothing is achieved alone. My colleagues and I work hard to serve all communities in Wales and this is demonstrated by the success of our casework. I am grateful for this recognition on behalf of CPS Cymru Wales.”

Helen joined the CPS when it was first set up in October 1986.

Teacher jailed who arranged for sexual abuse of children jailed for life

 

A teacher who arranged for children in the Philippines to be sexually abused while he watched online from his UK home has been jailed.

Paul O’Neill, 57, admitted multiple child sex offences against children as young as four and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years at Nottingham Crown Court today (June 16).

Among the offences O’Neill admitted were three rape charges, which the CPS was able to bring despite the offending taking place thousands of miles away.

Although the children were abused in the Philippines, the CPS prosecutor advised the police at an early stage of their investigation that it would be possible to prosecute O’Neill for procuring the abuse, using the computer evidence seized in this country.

Examination of his computers revealed the extent of his activities. When transcribed, there were 14,000 pages of chat logs. These showed that he had paid for the abuse to take place and given graphic instructions about what scenes should be depicted.

The court also heard how O’Neill, from Nottingham, continued searching for child abuse material online even after his computer equipment had been seized by the police.

Charlotte Caulton-Scott, from the CPS, said:

“Paul O’Neill presented himself as a respectable citizen through his role as a teacher and work in the community. But behind closed doors he was spending thousands of pounds on exploiting children and putting them through abuse for his own sexual gratification.

“The CPS charged and prosecuted O’Neill for multiple offences of which the most serious were the counts of rape and conspiracy to rape. O’Neill may have been thousands of miles away but because the offences were taking place on his instigation, with him issuing instructions about what was to take place, he was guilty of the offences himself.

“O’Neill treated his victims as commodities, hiding behind the perceived anonymity of the internet, but these were real children suffering horrendous abuse at his direction.”

Ends

Background

• Where the offences that O’Neill commissioned did not involve rape, charges of causing a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity and other offences, including arranging the commission of child sexual offences were used when it was not clear what activity had actually taken place.
• Charlotte Caulton-Scott is a district crown prosecutor from the CPS East Midlands rape and serious sexual offences team.