§ Sir J. Hobsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children under the age of 16 years were known to the police to be victims of murder or of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility in 1938, in 1948, and in 1951 and each succeeding year.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsThe statistics of offences of murder, or manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility, known to the police do not give the number of victims under 16 years of age; the number of victims under 15 years of age is given in the table below. The figures for 1938 are no longer available.
132W
CHILD VICTIMS AGED UNDER 15 Murder* Manslaughter by reason of diminished† responsibility under section 2 of the Homicide Act 1957, which came into force on 21st March 1957 Total 1948 65 — 65 1951 41 — 41 1952 50 — 50 1953 53 — 53 1954 51 — 51 1955 60 — 60 1956 47 — 47 1957 57 10 67 1958 40 5 45 1959 46 5 51 1960 36 13 49 1961 37 10 47 1962 39 14 53 1963 46 4 50 1964 44 7 51 * The figures in this column represent murders known to the police in the year stated, excluding those later found not to be murder. Figures on this basis for 1965 are not yet available. † The figures in this column represent murders recorded as known to the police in the year stated which were reduced to manslaughter by courts of trial either in that year or subsequently after proceedings in which the only or principal defence was one of diminished responsibility under s. 2 of the Act. Figures on this basis for 1965 are not yet available.