Gwent Crown Prosecution Service trials chief jailed for corruption

A corrupt Crown Prosecution Service barrister who pocketed thousands of pounds to drop a case against a man he believed to be guilty was jailed for four-and-a-half years yesterday. Sarfraz Ibrahim, 51, of Cardiff, south Wales, who was the trials chief for Gwent CPS at the time of his arrest, admitted corruption, perverting the course of justice and misconduct in a public office. Sentencing him at Swansea crown court, Mr Justice Treacy told Ibrahim: "You did not just offend the core principles of your profession, but you committed crimes which are universally recognised as serious. The breach of trust is great." Ibrahim was caught in an elaborate sting carried out by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca). Andrew Langdon QC, defending, said Ibrahim had been an inspirational leader who engendered loyalty. When he was arrested, he was on secondment from Avon and Somerset CPS, where he had won accolades for his hard work and close community links. The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, said: "The CPS will prosecute all such cases robustly and will not hesitate to take action against any member of its staff who brings discredit on the service. This behaviour will not be tolerated in our organisation."