Notable Private Prosecutions
- Oscar Wilde initiated an unsuccessful private prosecution for libel against the Marquis of Queensberry when the latter publicly accused Wilde of sodomy, which was then a crime.
- Whitehouse v. Lemon (1977) was the last successful blasphemy prosecution in the United Kingdom.
- The family of Stephen Lawrence brought charges against the five men they alleged had killed him (1996). The private prosecution was unsuccessful, one suspect's acquittal in the criminal trial was quashed in 2011, with a subsequent trial resulting in his and another suspect's conviction in 2012.
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