§ Mr. David YoungTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cars have been stolen in each region in England since the passage of the Aggravated Vehicle Taking Act 1992; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacleanThe information available relates to theft of all motor vehicles and is contained in the following table.
Offences of theft of motor vehicles, April 1992 to December 1993, by region Region 1Number of thefts of vehicles North West 170,425 North East 217,875 Midlands 112,905 Eastern 107,749 South East 294,835 South West 78,677 1 Offences of aggravated vehicle taking and theft of a vehicle recorded by the police.
§ Mr. David YoungTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been made under the charge of aggravated vehicle taking in each region of England; how many have been successful; what has been the average sentence in successful prosecutions in each region; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacleanInformation for 1992 is given in the tables. 1993 data will not be available until the autumn. We are monitoring carefully both prosecutions and penalties under this new provision. It is still too early to draw many conclusions but early indications are that this measure is providing a useful weapon in our armoury against car crime.
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Table A Number of defendants prosecuted, convicted and average custodial
sentence length given at magistrates' courts for aggravated vehicle
taking offences by region 1992
England
Offence/region Prosecutions Convictions Average custodial sentence length (months) Indictable (triable either way) Causing death by aggravated vehicle taking North West 8 5 — North East 1 1 — Midlands 1 — — Eastern 6 1 — South East 11 4 6 South West — — — ENGLAND 27 11 6 Aggravated vehicle taking— injury to person, damage to property or car North West 232 123 4 North East 448 259 4 Midlands 145 57 4 Eastern 251 131 4 South East 323 149 4 South West 56 24 4 ENGLAND 1,455 743 4
Offence/region Prosecutions Convictions Average custodial sentence length (months) Summary Aggravated vehicle taking— criminal damage of £2,000 or under North West 2 2 — North East 7 4 — Midlands 48 32 3 Eastern 67 42 5 South East 15 8 — South West 49 33 5 ENGLAND 188 121 4
Table B Number of offenders convicted and average custodial sentence length
given at the Crown Court for aggravated vehicle taking offences by
region 1992
England
Offence/Region Convictions Average custodial sentence length (months) Indictable (triable either way) Causing death by aggravated vehicle taking North West 2 17 North East 5 18 Midlands — — Eastern 1 5 South East — — South West — — ENGLAND 8 15 Aggravated vehicle taking— injury to person, damage to property or car North West 57 11 North East 93 11 Midlands 37 12 Eastern 55 10 South East 52 10 South West 30 10 ENGLAND 324 11 SUMMARY Aggravated vehicle taking— criminal damage of £2,000 or under North West — 16 North East — — Midlands — — Eastern 1 — South East 1 — South West — — ENGLAND 2 6 1 Relates to one offender who was convicted at the magistrates' court but committed for sentence to the Crown Court.