§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in the most recent year for which records are available, how many cases of sexual assault were reported to the Royal Ulster Constabulary; in how many of these cases the identity of the alleged perpetrator was known to the police; how many cases were referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions; how many prosecutions were brought; and how many convictions were secured. [115278]
§ Mr. Ingram[holding answer 21 March 2000]: A total of 1,605 sexual offences1 were recorded by the Royal Ulster Constabulary for the year 1998–99. Of these, 1,221 offences were cleared, representing an overall clearance rate of 76.1 per cent.
During the same period, 104 persons2 were proceeded against in the Crown courts. Eighty-one were found guilty and 23 not guilty. Comparable figures for the magistrates courts are not yet available.
1 Relates to all Class 2 offences as recorded under revised Home Office counting rules introduced from 1 April 1998.2 Relates to primary offences only, all of which were referred to the DPP. It is not possible to determine the number of persons proceeded against in the Crown courts with a sexual offence being a secondary offence.