§ 9. Mr. E. Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of murders known to the police since 1st January, 1958; what has 624 been the sex of the victims; how many have been children under 15 years of age; how many convictions have been obtained; in how many cases the death penalty has been imposed; and in how many this penalty has been carried out.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerI will, with permission, circulate the figures in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following are the figures:
| — | 1958 | 1959 (January-April) |
| Number of murders known to the police (excluding those originally recorded as murder but subsequently found to be manslaughter or some other offence or no crime) | 126 | 58 |
| Male victims | 53 (20) | 20 (4) |
| Female victims | 73 (20) | 38 (14) |
| (Figures in brackets indicate the number under 15). | ||
| Number of persons prosecuted in respect of the above cases | 62 | 10 |
| Number found insane on arraignment or guilty but insane | 19 | 3 |
| Number convicted | 26 | 4 |
| Number sentenced to death | 6 | 3 |
| Number executed | 5 | 2 |
§ Notes
§ 1. The figures for 1959 are provisional and may include some cases which will be found to be offences other than murder or not to be crimes. In some cases police enquiries are still in progress, and in others proceedings have been instituted but have not yet been completed.
§ 2. In 1958 39 persons responsible for the death of 45 victims committed suicide or died before arrest, and in January-April, 1959, 6 persons, responsible for 8 victims.