Alison Saunders: It was 'my decision' to quit CPS

The outgoing Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales, Alison Saunders, has said that critics of her time in post showed a "lack of knowledge" of the Crown Prosecution Service.

It comes as Mrs Saunders announced she is to stand down in October, at the end of her five year contract. Mrs Saunders said on Radio 4's Today Programme that she told the government she would be moving on.

Her tenure at the head of the Crown Prosecution Service has been marked by a series of controversies - most recently the collapse of a number of high profile rape cases.

(Image: Alison Saunders; Copyright: CPS)