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Stephen Lawrence barrister to become director of public prosecutions | Stephen Lawrence barrister to become director of public prosecutions |
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A barrister who oversaw the conviction of Stephen Lawrence's killers and was praised for her work during the London riots is to become the top prosecutor in England and Wales. | A barrister who oversaw the conviction of Stephen Lawrence's killers and was praised for her work during the London riots is to become the top prosecutor in England and Wales. |
Alison Saunders, the chief crown prosecutor for London, will be only the second woman to become director of public prosecutions (DPP) when she replaces Keir Starmer later this year. | |
Saunders, who has been at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) since its inception in 1986, was recently made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace for her work during the London riots. | |
As violence flared across London and then the rest of England in the summer of 2011, Saunders and her colleagues were said to have worked around the clock to deal with offenders who were being arrested by police. | |
It is the first time the CPS has appointed an internal candidate as DPP, and only the second time a woman has held the position, one of the most senior criminal justice roles in the country. The late Dame Barbara Mills, who held the post from 1992 to 1998, was the first female DPP. | |
Announcing Saunders's selection, the attorney general, Dominic Grieve QC, said the internal appointment was proof "of the high quality of the professionals" in the CPS. "Alison will make an excellent director of public prosecutions and is the right person to help the CPS meet the challenges it will face in the coming years," he said. | Announcing Saunders's selection, the attorney general, Dominic Grieve QC, said the internal appointment was proof "of the high quality of the professionals" in the CPS. "Alison will make an excellent director of public prosecutions and is the right person to help the CPS meet the challenges it will face in the coming years," he said. |
"I am particularly pleased that Alison is the first head of the CPS to be appointed from within its ranks as proof of the high quality of the professionals that work within the service." | "I am particularly pleased that Alison is the first head of the CPS to be appointed from within its ranks as proof of the high quality of the professionals that work within the service." |
Saunders, who will serve a five-year term, said she would continue to implement reforms to improve the performance of the CPS and the wider criminal justice system. | |
"I am delighted and privileged to be appointed as the next director of public prosecutions. To lead an organisation of committed and professional staff is an honour, especially having worked for the CPS since its inception," she said. | "I am delighted and privileged to be appointed as the next director of public prosecutions. To lead an organisation of committed and professional staff is an honour, especially having worked for the CPS since its inception," she said. |
"I look forward to carrying on with the fantastic work that Keir Starmer QC has undertaken, ensuring the CPS further improves and continuing with reforms, both within the CPS and more widely in the criminal justice system." | "I look forward to carrying on with the fantastic work that Keir Starmer QC has undertaken, ensuring the CPS further improves and continuing with reforms, both within the CPS and more widely in the criminal justice system." |
Saunders began her career at Lloyds of London following a pupillage in a common law set, before joining the CPS in 1986. In her 30-year career she has developed an expertise in issues involving child victims and witnesses. In 2001, she became chief crown prosecutor for Sussex, and oversaw the prosecution of Roy Whiting for the abduction and murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne. | |
In 2005, she became head of the CPS organised crime division and in 2009 was appointed the chief crown prosecutor for CPS London, which deals with around 20% of CPS work. |