§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Attorney-General what has been the percentage rate of acquittal at Leicester Crown court in cases where the defendants plead not guilty for each of the past 10 years for which figures are available.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralThe percentage of defendants who were acquitted after pleading not guilty to all counts at Leicester Crown court in the past 10 years is as follows:
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per cent. 1976 35.3 1977 33.7 1978 31.9 1979 44.2 1980 46.8 1981 42.3 1982 41.2 1983 50.4 1984 38.1 1985 43.5 Approximately one half of these acquittals were on the direction of the judge.