§ Mr. CummingsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases have been referred by Durham police to the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last three years; how many have been prosecuted; and how many have been successful. [13246]
§ The Attorney-GeneralI have been asked to reply.
The figures shown in the tables represent the number of cases received from the police and the number of defendants whose case proceeded to a hearing in magistrates courts and in the Crown court during the calendar years 1993, 1994 and 1995, and of those, the proportion who were convicted. Convictions are inclusive of guilty pleas, as well as of contested hearings.
In the magistrates court:
Table 1 shows the number of defendants whose case was received by the CPS, and the number whose case was finalised; of defendants finalised, the number whose case was referred to the CPS for pre-charge advice, and the number of other, non-criminal, proceedings—such as forfeiture proceedings under the Obscene Publications Acts.
Table 2 shows the number of defendants whose case was not proceeded with, divided into cases where the prosecution was dropped and cases which could not proceed—for example because the defendant had died, or could not be traced.
Table 3 shows the number of those cases proceeded with, showing: the number of defendants bound over to keep the peace; the number of defendants' cases heard in the magistrates court; the number of defendants' committed to the Crown court; and the number of defendants' whose case was discharged at committal.
Table 4 shows the outcome of the cases heard in the magistrates court, showing the number of defendants convicted and the number acquitted.
317WIn the Crown court:
Table 5 shows the number of defendants whose case was received and the number finalised. Of the number of defendants cases finalised, the table shows the number of cases which were appeals from the magistrates court or committed to the Crown court from the magistrates court for sentence.
Table 6 shows the number of defendants' cases not proceeded with, divided into those in which no evidence was offered before the jury was sworn, prosecution dropped, and those which could not proceed and were written off—for example, because the defendant had died, could not be traced by the police, or had been found unfit to plead.
Table 7 shows the number of defendants' cases proceeded with divided into the number bound over to keep the peace and the number heard in the Crown court.
Table 8 shows the number of defendants' cases heard in the Crown court which resulted in convictions and the number which resulted in acquittals.
Table 3 Proceeded with of which… Bind over Per cent. Hearings in the Magistrates' Court Per cent. Committed to Crown Court Per cent. Committal discharged Per cent. 1993 233 1.5 10,027 65.3 1,229 8.00 34 0.2 1994 291 2.1 9,664 71.7 1,245 9.2 25 0.2 1995 344 2.4 9,916 70.7 1,073 7.6 8 0.1
Table 4 Outcome of which… Convicted Per cent. Acquitted Per cent. 1993 9,801 97.7 226 2.3 1994 9,369 96.4 295 3.6 1995 9,709 97.9 207 2.1
Crown Court Table 5 of which… Receipts Finalised Appeals and committals for sentence Per cent. 1993 6,591 5,138 986 19.1 1994 1,538 1,448 271 18.7 1995 1,402 1,644 309 18.8
318W
Table 6 Not proceeded with of which… Prosecution dropped Per cent. Written Off Per cent. 1993 222 5.3 37 0.9 1994 56 4.7 6 0.5 1995 94 7.0 8 0.6 The Crown court figures for the year 1993 include Northumbria cases as it is not possible to distinguish the Durham cases from the Northumbria cases from the statistics available.
Magistrates Court Table 1 Case numbers Received Finalised of which… Pre-charge advice Per cent. Other proceedings Per cent. 1993 16,296 16,381 1,035 6.3 2 0.1 1994 14,963 14,654 1,173 8.0 12 0.1 1995 14,354 15,110 1,074 7.1 18 0.1
Table 2 Not proceeded with of which… Prosecution dropped Per cent. Written Off Per cent. 1993 2,144 13.9 1,677 10.9 1994 1,852 13.7 392 2.9 1995 1,811 12.9 866 6.1
Table 7 Proceeded with of which… Bind over Percentage Hearings Percentage 1993 75 1.8 3,818 91.9 1994 11 0.9 1,104 93 8 1995 21 1.5 1,212 90.7
Table 8 Outcome of which… Convicted Per cent. Acquitted Per cent. 1993 3,494 91.5 324 8.5 1994 1,032 93.4 72 6.6 1995 1,126 92.9 86 7.1