HC Deb 07 May 1981 vol 4 cc131-2W
20. Mr. Greville Janner

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many wives and how many members of families of foreign diplomats in the United Kingdom have invoked diplomatic immunity to avoid prosecution for crimes of dishonesty and crimes of violence, respectively, during each of the past five years for which records are available.

Mr. Mayhew

The following table shows the number of offences alleged to have been committed each year where the possibility of criminal proceedings was not pursued because the alleged offender was entitled to diplomatic immunity by reason of a family relationship with a foreign or Commonwealth diplomat:

1976 1977 1978 1979 1980
Dishonesty (i.e. offences against the Theft Act 1968)
Wives 10 9 10 10 3
Other family members 7 13 7 12 9
Violence Wives
Other family members 1

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