§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of rape were reported in England and Wales in 2000 that resulted in charges being made against the alleged perpetrators. [20435]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThe requested details are not collected centrally. Of the 8,593 offences of rape recorded in England and Wales in the year ending March 2001, 3,992 were detected. During the 2000 calendar year a total of 2,046 individuals were proceeded against at magistrates courts for rape. As the recorded crime figure relates to offences, and the proceedings figure relates to individuals, who may be prosecuted for more than one rape offence, these figures are not directly comparable.
Home Office Research Study 196 'A question of evidence? Investigating and prosecuting rape in the 1990s' found that 42 per cent. of a sample of recorded cases of rape of a female in 1996 resulted in a charge.