§ Sir Nicholas LyellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all either-way offences. [86753]
§ Mr. BoatengThere is no readily available list of triable either-way offences. Appendix Four of the annual Command Paper "Criminal statistics England and Wales" lists just over 370 triable either-way offence codes which are used for statistical purposes. Each code may cover more than one offence and these codes cover approximately 700 offences. Other triable either-way offences are grouped together under one ad hoc code. Copies of the Command Paper are available in the Library.
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§ Sir Nicholas LyellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many either-way cases were tried in the Crown Court in each of the last five years for which records are available; how many were contested; how many defendants pleaded guilty; and what proportion of those which were contested resulted in a conviction for(a) all offences charged and (b) for any offence charged. [86764]
§ Mr. BoatengThe information requested is not held centrally, but is being prepared. I will write to the right hon. and learned Member when this information becomes available.
§ Sir Nicholas LyellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the proportion of defendants electing for trial of either-way offences in the Crown Court who are persistent offenders abusing the system. [86754]
§ Mr. BoatengResearch conducted by the Home Office showed that nearly 90 per cent. of convicted offenders who had elected trial in 1989 had previous convictions and over a third had more than 10 previous convictions.
§ Sir Nicholas LyellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of defendants electing trial in the Crown Court for either-way offences have(a) been convicted and (b) received sentences greater than could have been imposed by the magistrates. [86757]
§ Mr. BoatengThis information is not collected centrally. Home Office research conducted showed that two-thirds of convicted defendants who had elected trial in 1989 received non-custodial sentences. Others will have received custodial sentences within the powers of magistrates.
The same research showed that those who elected trial were three times as likely to receive a custodial sentence, and sentences were on average two and a half times as long as similar defendants sentenced in magistrates courts.
§ Sir Nicholas LyellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of defendants electing trial in the Crown Court for either-way offences subsequently plead guilty(a) to all offences of which they were charged, (b) to the most serious offence of which they were charged and (c) to an offence less serious than the most serious offence with which they were charged. [86755]
§ Mr. BoatengThis information is not collected centrally. Home Office research conducted in 1989 showed that of convicted offenders who had elected trial, 70 per cent. finally pleaded guilty to all charges and 14 per cent. finally pleaded guilty to some charges.