HC Deb 22 October 2001 vol 373 c87W
Mr. Lilley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of all either-way cases where defendants elected for Crown court trial(a) were rejected by the judge before plea, (b) involved a guilty plea and involved a sentence, (c) involved a guilty plea but were dismissed without completing trial, (d) resulted in a guilty verdict by the jury and (e) resulted in a verdict of not guilty. [7854]

Mr. Denham

The Home Office court proceedings database does not identify either-way cases where:(a) defendants who elect for Crown court trial are rejected by the judge before plea.

Information from the Home Office court proceedings database shows that for England and Wales 1999, (b) the defendant pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 62 per cent. of either-way cases tried at the Crown court; (c) in a negligible percentage of cases the defendant pleaded guilty, but was not tried; (d) in 13 per cent. the defendant was found guilty by a jury after pleading not guilty; and (e) in 23 per cent. of cases the defendant was acquitted by a jury.

The remaining 3 per cent. of defendants were not tried.