§ Mr. Hilary BennTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for each of the years 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998, what percentage of defendants appearing before magistrates' courts were found guilty, having pleaded not guilty. [101943]
§ Mr. Charles Clarke[holding answer 13 December 1999]: The Home Office Court Proceedings Database does not contain details of defendant plea in the magistrates' courts. However, I understand from the Attorney-General's Office that, in respect of proceedings handled by the Crown Prosecution Service, the proportion of convictions in contested hearings was as follows:
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Percentage 1995 77.3 1996 75.7 1997 74.4 1998 73.7 Convictions following guilty pleas fell within this period because an increasing number of cases were proved in absence of the defendant rather than proceeding to a contested hearing. Proofs in absence rose from 92,251 in 1995 to 114,133 in 1998, an increase of 23.7 per cent.