§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Attorney-General what criteria are taken into account in considering prosecutions in cases where medical personnel fit intra-uterine devices with the intention of aborting pregnancies in their early hours without obtaining the certification appropriate under the Abortion Act 1967.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe criteria set out in the code for Crown prosecutors, issued under section 10 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985, are applied in all prosecutions considered by the Crown prosecution service. The criteria require that there is sufficient evidence to afford a realistic prospect of a conviction and that the public interest requires a prosecution in the circumstances.