HC Deb 08 June 2000 vol 351 cc369-70W
Mr. Lidington

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) indictable and (b) either way offences were tried at the Crown court in each of the last five years for which figures are available indicating for each year (i) what proportion of either-way offences reached the Crown court (A) by the defendant electing jury trial and (B) on the direction of the magistrates, (ii) what proportion of trials for each type of offence resulted in a guilty verdict after a plea of not guilty, (iii) what proportion of trials for each type of offence resulted in a guilty plea and (iv) what proportion of trials for each type of offence resulted in an acquittal. [123861]

Mr. Charles Clarke

[holding answer 25 May 2000]: Official statistics do not include separate information on plea for those who elect Crown court trial. The available information is contained in the following tables:

Number of cases finalised at the Crown court by type of indictable case, committal and year, 1994–98—England and Wales
Triable-either-way (TEW)
Defendant elected Direction of magistrate
Year Indictable only Number of cases Percentage of TEW cases Number of cases Percentage of TEW cases
1994 19,237 25,178 35 46,258 65
1995 21,779 26,114 33 53,210 67
1996 23,993 22,870 32 48,748 68
1997 26,546 21,783 28 56,021 72
1998 26,918 18,537 28 46,835 72
1999 27,721 18,969 32 40,378 68

Source:

Crown Prosecution Service

Proportion of defendants tried at the Crown court by type of indictable offence and plea, 1994–981—England and Wales
Percentage
Not guilty plea
Year Guilty plea Convicted Acquitted
Indictable only offence2
19941 26
19951 53 22 26
1996 55 20 25
1997 54 21 25
1998 53 18 29
Triable-either-way offence2
19941 18
19951 68 14 18
1996 70 13 17
1997 71 12 17
1998 66 13 21
Total
19941 20
19951 66 15 19
1996 67 15 18
1997 68 13 18
1998 63 14 23
1Data by plea are available only from July 1995
2Based on the defendant's principle offence

Source:

Home Office Court Proceedings Database

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