HC Deb 20 March 1975 vol 888 cc532-3W
Mr. Kilroy-Silk

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long each of the 22 prisoners given a total of £46,276 in ex gratia payments had been in custody; and how this had been allowed to happen.

Mr. Alexander W. Lyon

The periods spent in custody were as follows:

Less than 3 months 7cases
From 3 to 6 months 3cases
From 6 to 12 months 7cases
From 12 to 18 months 3cases
Over 3 years 1cases
Over 5 years 1cases

The wrongful convictions were due to a variety of causes of which the most common were mistaken identification and false evidence.

Mr. Kilroy-Silk

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long each of the four prisoners given a total ex gratia payment of £1,457 had been detained in excess of jurisdiction; and how they came to be so detained.

Mr. Alexander W. Lyon

The periods of excessive detention were respectively two years and two months; eight months; 105 days; and 19 days. In each case there had been a mistake by the court when passing sentence.

Mr. Kilroy-Silk

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of wrongful arrest and wrongful imprisonment have been substantiated in each of the last four years for which figures are available.

Mr. Alexander W. Lyon

The available information cannot be classified in these terms. The annual totals of acquittals at trial, successful appeals against conviction, and free pardons are included in the published Criminal Statistics.

Forward to