Nazir Afzal speaks to Times Radio’s Darryl Morris about his life and career on the frontline of the British legal system. From tackling Rochdale’s sex ring, to risking everything with pioneering cases against perpetrators of honour killings and modern slavery. Nazir’s personal reflections on his ground-breaking prosecutions reveal unexpected insights that anyone interested in justice needs to hear.
Recorded live on 30th October 2023 at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Manchester.
Nazir Afzal OBE, was Chief Crown Prosecutor for NW England and formerly Director in London. He was Chief Executive of the country’s Police & Crime Commissioners and most recently, National Adviser to the Welsh Government.
During a 30-year career, he has prosecuted the most high profile cases in the country and advised on many others. He has led nationally on several legal topics including Violence against Women & Girls, child sexual abuse, and honour-based violence. He had responsibility for more than 100,000 prosecutions each year. His prosecutions of the so-called Rochdale grooming gang and hundreds of others were groundbreaking and changed the landscape of child protection.
Nazir’s memoirs The Prosecutor (published in 2020) are currently being adapted for a British multipart drama. His most recent book The Race to the Top was published in Sept 2022.
Nazir became Chancellor of the University of Manchester in August 2022.
Darryl Morris is an award-winning radio and television presenter. He currently hosts the weekend evening show on Times Radio – and has written for The Times, the Guardian, The Huffington Post and Grazia magazine.
Darryl is a regular panellist on Channel 5’s The Jeremy Vine Show and can often be found reviewing the news on Good Morning Britain and BBC Breakfast. He also produces and presents documentaries – most recently Dark Patterns, investigating malicious web design, for BBC World Service.