HC Deb 14 July 1966 vol 731 cc247-57W
Sir J. Hobson

asked the Secrtary of State for the Home Department if he will bring up to the end of the year 1965 the figures given in the principal tables of the Home Office Report, Murder, published in 1961, distinguishing between those murders which would have been capital and non-capital under the Homicide Act, 1957.

Mr. Roy Jenkins

The tables are given below. The table numbers are those used in the original publication.

TABLE 4 COMPARISON BETWEEN DEATHS PROVISIONALLY AND FINALLY RECORDED AS DUE TO MURDER BEFORE AND AFTER THE HOMICIDE ACT 1957
Before Homicide Act: 1st January, 1952, to 20th March, 1957 After Homicide Act: 21st March, 1957, to 31st December, 1965
Number Annual Average % Number Annual Average %
Deaths provisionally recorded as murder 888 170 100 1,955 223 100
Deaths found not to be murder or manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility (s.2) 150 29 16.9 412 47 21.1
Deaths finally recorded as murder or manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility (s.2)
Murder 735 140 82.8 1,239 141 63.4
S.2 Manslaughter 3 1 0.3 304 35 15.5
Total 738 141 83.1 1,543 176 78.9
TABLE 5 NUMBER OF VICTIMS RELATED TO NUMBER OF SUSPECTS
Deaths provisionally recorded as murder Murders not cleared up Deaths found not to be murder or s.2 manslaughter Murders cleared up (including s.2. manslaughters)
No proceedings taken Proceedings taken
No of victims No of victims No of victims No of victims No. of suspects who committed suicide No. of suspects who died or were detained in mental hospital No. of victims No. of suspects
1952 … … 180 8 39 48 36 — 85 76
1953 … … 174 10 34 53 37 2 77 66
1954 … … 166 10 21 59 38 1 76 72
1955 … … 152 10 19 46 32 1 77 70
1956 … … 179 11 29 56 39 — 83 85
1957 … … 224 17 50 54 39 — 103 95
1958 … … 184 15 31 46 38 2 92 89
1959 … … 192 11 31 50 35 — 100 97
1960 … … 217 9 51 45 39 — 112 126
1961 … … 214 11 55 42 33 1 106 107
1962 … … 238 13 59 58 45 2 108 112
1963 … … 225 18 36 47 35 1 124 122
1964 … … 236 24 46 49 32 — 117 131
1965 … … 262 17 61 52 40 1 132 129
Before Homicide Act (1.1.52 to 20.3.57):
Annual Average 170 9 29 52 36 — 80 74
After Homicide Act (21.3.57 to 31.12.65):
Annual Average 223 15 47 50 38 — 111 113

TABLE 6 MURDERS KNOWN TO THE POLICE TOGETHER WITH OFFENCES REDUCED TO MANSLAUGHTER BY REASON OF DIMINISHED RESPONSIBILITY
Estimated number of "capital" and "non-capital" offences
"Capital" "Non-capital" Total
Number % Number % Number %
1952 … … … 17 12.1 124 87.9 141 100.0
1953 … … … 17 12.1 123 87.9 140 100.0
1954 … … … 22 15.2 123 84.8 145 100.0
1955 … … … 15 11.3 118 88.7 133 100.0
1956 … … … 30 19.9 120 80.0 150 100.0
1957 … … … 23 13.2 151 86.8 174 100.0
1958 … … … 19 12.4 134 87.6 153 100.0
1959 … … … 23 14.3 138 85.7 161 100.0
1960 … … … 31 18.7 135 81.3 166 100.0
1961 … … … 20 12.6 139 87.4 159 100.0
1962 … … … 21 11.7 158 88.3 179 100.0
1963 … … … 22 11.6 167 88.4 189 100.0
1964 … … … 26 13.7 164 86.3 190 100.0
1965 … … … 38 18.9 163 81.1 201 100.0
Before Homicide Act (1.1.52 to 20.3.57):
Annual average 20 14.4 121 85.6 141 100.0
After Homicide Act (21.3.57 to 31.12.65):
Annual average 25 14.2 151 85.8 176 100.0

TABLE 10 CONVICTIONS FOR CAPITAL MURDER AND SIMILAR CONVICTIONS BEFORE THE HOMICIDE ACT 1957 AND AFTER THE MURDER (ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY) ACT 1965
S. 5(a) S. 5(b) S. 5(c) S. 5(d) S. 5(e)
Murder in the course or furtherance of theft Murder by shooting Murder in the course of resisting arrest Murder of policeman in course of duty Murder of prison officer in course of duty
Similar convictions for murder before the Homicide Act 1957
1955 Executed … 1 1 — — —
Reprieved … 1 — — — —
Total … 2 1 — — —
1956 Reprieved … 4 5 — — —
H.M.P.* … 1 1 — — —
Total … 5 6 — — —
1957 Reprieved … 2 1 — — —
Total … 2 1 — — —
Convictions for capital murder under the Homicide Act 1957
1957 Executed … 2 1 — — —
Reprieved … 1 1 — — —
H.M.P.* … 1 — — — —
Total … 4 2 — — —
1958 Executed … 4 — — 1 —
Reprieved … 1 — — — —
Total … 5 — — 1 —
1959 Executed … 2 1 — 1 —
Reprieved … 1 — — — —
Total … 3 1 — 1 —
1960 Executed … 6 1 — — —
Reprieved … 1 — — 1 —
H.M.P.* … 2 — — — —
Total … 9 — 1 — —

S. 5(a) S. 5(b) S. 5(c) S. 5(d) S. 5(e)
Murder in the course or furtherance of theft Murder by shooting Murder in the course of resisting arrest Murder of policeman in course of duty Murder of prison officer in course of duty
1961 Executed … 2 2 — — —
Reprieved … 1 — — — —
H.M.P.* … 1 — — — —
Total … 4 2 — — —
1962 Executed … 1 1 — — —
Total … 1 1 — — —
1963 Executed … 2 — — — —
Reprieved … — 2 — — —
Total … 2 2 — — —
1964 Executed … 2 — — — —
Reprieved … 7 2 — — —
Total … 9 2 — — —
1965 Reprieved … 2 4 — 1 —
Total … 2 4 — 1 —
Similar convictions for murder after the Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965
1965 Imprisoned … 1 2 — — 1
Total … 1 2 — — 1

* Persons under 18 ordered to be detained during Her Majesty's pleasure.

TABLE 25 DISPOSAL OF SUSPECTS IN CASES FINALLY CLASSIFIED AS MURDER OR AS MANSLAUGHTER BY REASON OF DIMINISHED RESPONSIBILITY
Date at which crime became known to Police Committed suicide Insane Executed Convicted of murder and Imprisoned H.M.P.* Convicted of manslaughter under s.2 Acquitted or discharged Other Total
1955 … … 32 41 9 14 1 — 5 1 103
1956 … … 39 30 — 31 4 — 16 4 124
1957 … … 39 20 3 32 1 20 16 3 134
1958 … … 38 19 5 20 1 27 16 3 129
1959 … … 35 25 4 40 1 19 8 — 132
1960 … … 39 22 7 36 3 30 27 1 165
1961 … … 33 19 4 34 2 27 21 1 141
1962 … … 45 15 2 40 2 33 20 2 159
1963 … … 35 12 2 33 1 52 21 2 158
1964 … … 32 10 2 52 1 34 32 — 163
1965 … … 40 8 — 51 1 45 23 2 170
Before Homicide Act (1.1.55 to 20.3.57) 78 73 9 55 5 3 22 6 251
After Homicide Act (21.3.57 to 31.12.65) 329 148 29 328 13 284 183 13 1,327

* Persons under 18 ordered to be detained during Her Majesty's Pleasure.

TABLE 26 CATEGORIES OF OFFENDER AND ANNUAL AVERAGES
Number of offenders
Date at which crime became known to Police Committed suicide Insane Convicted of manslaughter under s.2 Convicted and sentenced for murder Total
Before Homicide Act (1.1.55 to 20.3.57)
Number 78 73 3 69 223
Per cent 35.0 32.7 1.4 30.9 100.0
Annual average 35 33 (1) 31 100
After Homicide Act (21.3.57 to 31.12.65)
Number 329 148 284 370 1,131
Per cent 29.1 13.1 25.1 32.7 100.0
Annual average 37 17 32 42 129
TABLE 41 TYPES OF PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS AMONG MEN CONVICTED OF CAPITAL AND NON-CAPITAL MURDER (SINCE THE HOMICIDE ACT, 1957)*
Capital murder Non-capital murder
Number Percent. Number Percent.
Previous offences:
Sexual … … … 1 1.6 16 5.4
Violent … … … 13 20.6 66 22.1
Both … … … 3 4.8 10 3.4
All offences against the person … … … 17 27.0 92 30.9
Offences against property only … … … 32 50.8 85 28.5
No previous convictions … … … 14 22.2 121 40.6
Total … … … 63 100.0 298 100.0

* For the period from 9th November, 1965 (when the Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965 came into force) to 31st December, 1965, the distinction between capital and non-capital murders has been based on estimates of what would have been the results of proceedings under the Homicide Act, 1957.

Sir J. Hobson

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of children under the age of 15 years who were known to the police to be the victims of murder or of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility in 1948, 1951 and in each succeeding year, showing for each year those

Year Murders known to the police of children aged under 15 including, from 1957, offences reduced to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility* Victim of parent or near relative Victims of non-relatives Victims of unsolved murders
Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent.
1948 … 64 100 44 68.8 5 7.8 15 23.4
1951 … 40 100 29 72.5 5 12.5 6 15.0
1952 … 52 100 49 94.3 1 1.9 2 3.8
1953 … 53 100 40 75.5 5 9.4 8 15.1
1954 … 51 100 44 86.3 2 3.9 5 9.8
1955 … 59 100 46 78.0 5 8.5 8 13.5
1956 … 47 100 41 87.2 2 4.3 4 8.5
1957 … 68 100 52 76.4 8 11.8 8 11.8
1958 … 45 100 33 73.4 6 13.3 6 13.3
1959 … 51 100 39 76.5 7 13.7 5 9.8
1960 … 49 100 37 75.5 7 14.3 5 10.2
1961 … 47 100 37 78.7 4 8.5 6 12.8
1962 … 53 100 43 81.1 4 7.6 6 11.3
1963 … 57 100 41 71.9 7 12.3 9 15.8
1964 … 52 100 36 69.2 3 5.8 13 25.0
1965 … 55 100 42 76.4 10 18.2 3 5.4

* The defence of "diminished responsibility" was introduced under section 2 of the Homicide Act 1957 which came into force on 21st March, 1957.