Discontinued Cases (Hansard, 25 February 2002)

§ Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
To ask the Solicitor-General how many criminal and magistrate court cases were discontinued per year in absolute terms and as a percentage of all cases, in each region and as a percentage of the total acquittals; and how many arose(a) from the jury and (b) following an order or direction of the judge. [35961]

§ The Solicitor-General
[holding answer 14 February 20021Table 1 shows the number of defendants whose cases were discontinued in each of the last three years, and expresses these as a percentage of completed cases in magistrates courts.
Table 2 shows for the same period the number of defendants whose case resulted in a judge ordered acquittal after the prosecution offered no evidence; the number resulting in a judge directed acquittal; and the number acquitted on the verdict of the jury after a full trial.
Each of these outcomes is also shown as a percentage of completed cases in the Crown court.
751W

Discontinuance in magistrates courts—Table 1

1999 2000 2001

Total Discontinued Percentage Discontinued Percentage Discontinued Percentage

P40 West Mercia 2,969 11.4 2,987 11.4 3,415 12.6

P41 West Midlands 12,320 15.3 11,659 14.8 11,607 13.7

P42 West Yorkshire 12,142 14.4 14,275 18.0 16,528 20.6

P43 Wiltshire 1,159 9.2 1,056 8.7 1,155 9.00

Crown court acquittals—Table 2

Judge ordered acquittals (percentage) Judge directed acquittals (percentage) Acquittals after trial (percentage)

1999

Total 9,331 (10.7) 1,849 (2.1) 6,958 (8.0)

P01 Avon and Somerset 220 (9.7) 48 (2.1) 178 (7.8)

P02 Bedfordshire 69 (9.6) 27 (3.8) 86 (12.00

P03 Cambridgeshire 69 (6.6) 19 (1.8) 81 (7.8)

P04 Cheshire 121 (7.6) 35 (2.2) 119 (7.50

P06 Cleveland 112 (9.2) 14 (1.2) 55 (4.5)

P07 Cumbria 60 (9.0) 9 (1.3) 35 (5.2)

P08 Derbyshire 102 (7.7) 16 (1.2) 70 (5.3)

P09 Devon and Cornwal 214 (11.9) 41 (2.3) 111(6.2)

P10 Dorset 72 (8.5) 15 (1.8) 74 (8.7)

P11 Durham 84 (7.8) 18 (1.7) 59 (5.5)

P12 Dyfed Powys 58 (9.0) 18 (2.8) 68 (10.5)

P13 Essex 250 (12.7) 39 (2.0) 212 (10.8)

P14 Gloucestershire 68 (13.1) 10 (1.9) 32 (6.1)

P15 Greater Manchester 623 (11.2) 144 (2.6) 477 (8.5)

P16 Gwent 80 (7.6) 12 (1.1) 89 (8.5)

P17 Hampshire 346 (11.3) 82 (2.7) 321 (10.5)

P18 Hertfordshire 124 (10.4) 32 (2.7) 128 (10.8)

P19 Humberside 82 (6.5) 18 (1.4) 57 (4.5)

P20 Kent 281 (13.8) 80 (3.9) 179 (8.8)

P21 Lancashire 402 (13.8) 51 (1.8) 153 (5.3)

P22 Leicestershire 174 (11.0) 17 (1.1) 103 (6.5)

P23 Lincolnshire 56 (8.2) 11 (1.6) 35 (5.1)

P24 Merseyside 399 (11.6) 49 (1.4) 259 (7.5)

P25 Metropolitan and City 1,864 (13.7) 461 (3.4) 1,888 (13.9)

P26 Norfolk 78 (10.5) 16 (2.2) 53 (7.1)

P27 Northamptonshire 111 (12.0) 8 (0.9) 41 (4.4)

P28 Northumbria 337 (11.2) 55 (1.8) 131 (4.3)

P29 North Wales 45 (6.8) 11 (1.7) 39 (5.9)

P30 North Yorkshire 103 (9.7) 9 (0.8) 67 (6.3)

P31 Nottinghamshire 252.(9.1) 23 (0.8) 101 (3.7)

P32 South Wales 212.(8.3) 45 (1.8) 192 (7.5)

P33 South Yorkshire 268 (9.2) 40 (1.4) 119 (4.1)

P34 Staffordshire 170 (11.1) 35 (2.3) 99 (6.5)

P35 Suffolk 41 (5.1) 22 (2.7) 98 (12.1)

P36 Surrey 97 (11.8) 15 (1.8) 86 (10.5)

P37 Sussex 182 (11.4) 43 (2.7) 152 (9.5)

P38 Thames Valley 125 (8.8) 35 (2.5) 151 (10.6)

P39 Warwickshire 16 (4.6) 6 (1.7) 5 (1.4)

P40 West Mercia 114 (9.5) 24 (2.0) 75 (6.3)

P41 West Midlands 678 (11.8) 121 (2.1) 369 (6.4)

P42 West Yorkshire 542 (8.5) 71 (1.1) 271 (4.2)

P43 Wiltshire 30 (7.1) 4 (0.9) 40 (9.4)

Judge ordered acquittals (percentage) Judge directed acquittals (percentage) Acquittals after trial (percentage)

2000

Total 10,070 (11.9) 1,789 (2.1) 6,729 (8.0)

P01 Avon and Somerset 255 (12.3) 38 (1.8) 177 (8.5)

P02 Bedfordshire 75 (10.5) 22 (3.1) 101 (14.1)

P03 Cambridgeshire 89 (8.3) 10 (0.9) 97 (9.0)

P04 Cheshire 135 (8.4) 47 (2.9) 144 (9.0)

P06 Cleveland 113 (9.5) 9 (0.8) 76 (6.5)

P07œ @'bria 57 (7.6) 14 (1.9) 58 (7.8)

P08 Derbyshire 184 (11.3) 32 (2.0) 122 (7.5)

P09 Devon and Cornwall 196 (11.8) 40 (2.4) 129 (7.8)

752W

Judge ordered acquittals/percentage Judge directed acquittals/percentage Acquittals after trial/percentage

P10 Dorset 62 (8.6) 36 (5.0) 62 (8.6)

P11 Durham 113 (11.7) 27 (2.8) 44 (4.6)

P12 Dyfed Powys 40 (8.5) 22 (4.7) 54 (11.4)

P13 Essex 155 (10.6) 26 (1.8) 147 (10.1

P14 Gloucestershire 47 (11.1) 9 (2.1) 44 (10.4)

P15 Greater Manchester 727 (12.9) 144 (2.5) 399 (7.1)

P16 Gwent 81 (7.6) 13 (1.2) 77 (7.3)

P17 Hampshire 390 (12.2) 101 (3.2) 364 (11.4)

P18 Hertfordshire 127 (12.1) 20 (1.9) 135 (12.9)

P19 Humberside 87 (7.4) 18 (1.5) 60 (5.1)

P20 Kent 254 (12.1) 54 (2.6) 212 (10.1)

P21 Lancashire 430 (14.7) 40 (1.4) 139 (4.7)

P22 Leicestershire 207 (12.4) 14 (0.8) 59 (4.1)

P23 Lincolnshire 68 (9.7) 16 (2.3) 37 (5.3)

P24 Merseyside 524 (14,4) 61 (1.7) 263 (7.2)

P25 Metropolitan and City 1,853 (14.4) 411(3.2) 1.668 (13.0)

P26 Norfolk 100 (12.4) 17 (2.1) 83 (10.3)

P27 Northamptonshire 124 (15.4) 11(1.4) 45 (5.6)

P28 Northumbria 327 (11.5) 38 (1.3) 108 (3.8)

P29 North Wales 40 (5.4) 12 (1.6) 72 (9.7)

P30 North Yorkshire 119 (13.6) 13 (1.5) 47 (5.4)

P31 Nottinghamshire 300 (11.8) 38 (1.5) 96 (3.8)

P32 South Wales 194 (7.8) 41 (1.7) 214 (8.6)

P33 South Yorkshire 251 (8.7) 24 (0.8) 96 (3.3)

P34 Staffordshire 201 (13.4) 31 (2.1) 85 (5.7)

P35 Suffolk 60 (8.0) 15 (2.0) 70 (9.3)

P36 Surrey 88 (12.2) 14 (1.9) 70 (9.7)

P37 Sussex 219 (14,0) 32 (2.0) 140 (9.0)

P38 Thames valley 95 (6.8) 44 (3.2) 161(11.6)

P39 Warwickshire 23 (6.9) (0.0) 12 (3.6)

P40 West Merica 93 (7.2) 39 (3.0) 79 (6.1)

P41 West Midlands 858 (13.7) 106 (1.7) 388 (6.2)

P42 West Yorkshire 685 (12.5) 75 (1.4) 260 (4.8)

P43 Wiltshire 24 (7.0) 16 (4.3) 23 (6.7)

Judge ordered acquittals/percentage Judge directed acquittals/percentage Acquittals after trial/percentage

2001

Total 11,292 (13.7) 1,495 (1.8) 6,630 (8.0)

P01 Avon and Somerset 243 (13.7) 31(1.7) 151 (8.0)

P02 Bedfordshire 43 (6.7) 6 (0.9) 83 (13.0)

P03 Cambridgeshire 68 (7.3) 17 (1.8) 58 (6.2)

PO4 Cheshire 142 (9.7) 22 (1.5) 148 (10.2)

P06 Cleveland 172 (12.1) 18 (1.3) 86 (6.0)

P07 Cumbria 88 (10.7) 8 (1.0) 65 (7.9)

P08 Derbyshire 210 (12.9) 27 (1.7) 98 (6.0)

P09 Devon and Cornwall 186 (13.3) 31 (2.2) 109 (7.8)

P 10 Dorset 74 (10.5) 20 (2.8) 72 (10.2)

P11 Durham 170 (14.7) 12 (1.0) 61 (5.3)

P12 Dyfed Powys 62 (12.3) 5 (1.0) 33 (6.6)

P13 Essex 159 (12.1) 12 (0.9) 138 (10.5)

P14 Gloucestershire 42 (8.9) 6 (1.3) 49 (10.3)

P15 Greater Manchester 808 (14.5) 131 (2.3) 368 (6.6)

P16 Gwent 71 (7.3) 12 (1.2) 100 (10.2)

P17 Hampshire 363 (13.9) 71 (2.7) 293 (11.2)

P18 Hertfordshire 138 (10.9) 24 (1.9) 158 (22.5)

P19 Humberside 92 (7.7) 16 (1.3) 64 (5.4)

P20 Kent 220 (12.6) 52 (3.0) 173 (9.9)

P21 Lancashire 477 (16.0) 52 (1.7) 210 (7.0)

753W

Judge ordered acquittals/percentage Judge directed acquittals/percentage Acquittals after trial/percentage

P22 Leicestershire 217 (14.3) 9 (0.6) 70 (4.6)

P23 Lincolnshire 56 (9.7) 14 (2.4) 34 (5.9)

P24 Merseyside 613 (17.1) 64 (1.8) 330 (9.2)

P25 Metropolitan and City 2,245 (16.7) 376 (2.8) 1,675 (12.5)

P26 Norfolk 63 (8.9) 11(1.6) 56 (7.9)

P27 Northamptonshire 82 (12.0) 7 (1.0) 46 (6.8)

P28 Northumbria 362 (12.1) 30 (1.0) 118 (3.9)

P29 North Wales 66 (9.7) 6 (0.9) 41 (6.0)

P30 North Yorkshire 68 (8.0) 19 (2.2) 29 (3.4)

P3I Nottinghamshire 329 (15.1) 16 (0.7) 65 (3.0)

P32 South Wales 295 (11.7) 33 (1.3) 204 (8.1)

P33 South Yorkshire 397 (12.8) 32 (1.0) 146 (4.7)

P34 Staffordshire 159 (11.9) 11 (0.8) 76 (5.7)

P35 Suffolk 55 (7.7) 23 (3.2) 103 (14.4)

P36 Surrey 95 (11.6) 19 (2.3) 80 (9.8)

P37 Sussex 292 (16.1) 29 (1.6) 164 (9.0)

P38 Thames Valley 157 (10.4) 51 (3.4) 133 (8.8)

P39 Warwickshire 18 (5.6) I (0.3) 9 (2.8)

P40 West Mercia 134 (11.0) 29 (2.4) 88 (7.2)

P41 West Midlands 1,248 (18.1) 88 (1.3) 389 (5.6)

P42 West Yorkshire 480 (12.4) 47 (1.2) 222 (5.7)

P43 Wiltshire 33 (9.0) 7 (1.9) 35 (9.5)

Discontinuance 1992–2001

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996

Total % Total % Total % Total % Total %

42 Areas 193,110 13.3 175,025 12.8 159,803 11.7 156,628 12.0 153,274 12.0

P01—Avon and Somerset — — — — — — 3,941 — 3,833 17.6

P02—Bedfordshire — — — — — — 1,563 — 1,665 18.3

P03—Cambridgeshire — — — — — — 1,686 — 1,636 14.8

P04—Cheshire — — — — — — 1,567 — 1,655 10.6

P06—Cleveland — — — — — — 2,821 — 2,598 23.8

P07—Cumbria — — — — — — 1,705 — 1,715 13.9

P08—Derbyshire — — — — — — 2,009 — 2,606 19.3

P09—Devon and Cornwall — — — — — — 2,796 — 3,179 16.1

Pl0—Dorset — — — — — — 1,383 — 1,898 16.0

P11—Durham — — — — — — 1,811 — 1,355 16.2

P12—Dyfed Powys — — — — — — 1,513 — 1,511 15.9

P13—Essex — — — — — — 2,400 — 2,669 14.1

P14—Gloucestershire — — — — — — 2,009 — 2,312 24.5

P15—Greater Manchester — — — — — — 7,454 — 9,101 13.3

P16—Gwent — — — — — — 2,049 — 2,178 21.3

P17—Hampshire — — — — — — 2,374 — 3,084 11.3

P18—Hertfordshire — — — — — — 1,782 — 1,973 17.0

P19—Humberside — — — — — — 1,748 — 1,909 12.7

P20—Kent — — — — — — 3,336 — 3,529 17.0

P21—Lancashire — — — — — — 4,113 — 4,532 15.2

P22—Leicestershire — — — — — — 4,389 — 3,606 23.0

P23—Lincolnshire — — — — — — 2,016 — 1,783 20.9

P24—Merseyside — — — — — — 4.032 — 4,176 13.5

P25—Metropolitan and City — — — — — — 31,338 — 25,339 17.5

P26—Norfolk — — — — — — 1,409 — 1,578 14.0

P27—Northamptonshire — — — — — — 2,073 — 1,819 23.1

P28—Northumbria — — — — — — 6,056 — 5,123 17.2

P29—North Wales — — — — — — 1,998 — 2,091 15.3

P30—North Yorkshire — — — — — — 1,474 — 1,401 13.5

P31—Nottinghamshire — — — — — — 3,281 — 4,095 20.0

P32—South Wales — — — — — — 5,597 — 6,074 19.6

P33—South Yorkshire — — — — — — 5,725 — 4,919 21.5

P34—Staffordshire — — — — — — 3,461 — 3,068 15.4

P35—Suffolk — — — — — — 905 — 1,210 13.8

P36—Surrey — — — — — — 1,913 — 1,926 16.1

P37—Sussex — — — — — — 3,146 — 3,023 15.4

P38—Thames Valley — — — — — — 4,744 — 4,854 16.7

P39—Warwickshire — — — — — — 926 — 852 11.8

P40—West Mercia — — — — — — 2,543 — 2,416 14.6

P41—West Midlands — — — — — — 6,636 — 7,035 14.3

P42—West Yorkshire — — — — — — 11,473 — 10,503 20.2

P43—Wiltshire — — — — — — 1,432 — 1,420 13.2

754W

§ Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list the groups of crimes to which discontinuance statistics apply and provide statistics for these crimes on a regional basis for each year since 1992. [35959]

§ The Solicitor-General
[holding answer 14 February 2002]: Discontinuance statistics apply to the full range of crimes handled by the Crown Prosecution Service. Any offence, from relatively minor traffic matters to the most serious crimes, may lead to discontinuance if the evidential and public interest criteria specified in the Code for Crown Prosecutors are not met.
However, the CPS holds no central record on the outcome of particular crimes: the information is held on individual files and could be retrieved only at disproportionate cost.
The table therefore shows the total number of discontinuances in each year since 1992, and expresses this as a proportion of cases completed in magistrate's courts. The same information is also shown for each of the 42 Areas of the Service since present records began.
755W

Discontinuance 1992–2001

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Total % Total % Total % Total % Total %

42 Areas 161,461 12.2 162,661 12.0 164,682 12.1 166,001 12.8 172,398 13.1

P01—Avon and Somerset 3,922 12.5 4,152 12.0 4,574 13.1 3,345 10.4 2,548 8.3

P02—Bedfordshire 1,784 12.4 1,451 11.6 1,132 10.5 1,148 11.9 1,575 14.4

P03—Cambridgeshire 1,734 10.0 1,667 9.5 1,537 9.1 1,249 8.5 1,153 10.4

P04—Cheshire 1,617 7.3 1,776 7.6 1,915 8.6 2,140 10.1 2,028 9.8

P06—Cleveland 2,421 13.8 2,418 12.9 2,206 11.2 2,002 10.0 2,326 11.5

P07—Cumbria 1,848 10.3 1,582 9.2 1,627 9.7 1,315 9.6 1,287 9.5

P08—Derbyshire 2,472 13.3 2,666 12.1 2,290 11.7 2,215 12.0 2,167 11.1

P09—Devon and Cornwall 3,589 12.5 3,651 13.0 3,473 12.2 3,438 12.1 3,089 12.2

P10—Dorset 1,643 12.1 1,453 11.0 1,269 9.6 1,636 12.0 1,471 11.6

P11—Durham 1,391 11.5 1,631 10.9 1,740 9.7 1,536 9.8 1,509 10.1

P12—Dyfed Powys 1,423 11.1 1,389 10.1 1,696 11.5 1,716 12.5 1,717 13.7

P13—Essex 3,170 11.2 3,042 10.4 3,477 12.0 3,432 13.7 2,997 11.5

P14—Gloucestershire 2,390 17.4 2,369 15.3 2,254 15.1 2,410 16.9 2,318 16.4

P15—Greater Manchester 8,588 9.9 9,410 10.3 9,480 10.6 9,410 10.8 9,985 11.1

P16—Gwent 2,605 14.8 2,494 13.0 2,364 12.5 2,303 12.3 2,217 12.0

P17—Hampshire 3,530 8.9 3,196 8.2 4,333 10.1 3,842 9.2 3,769 10.0

P18—Hertfordshire 2,214 13.0 2,238 13.0 1,696 10.0 2,161 11.1 2,280 11.8

P19—Humberside 1,841 8.8 2,042 9.4 1,852 8.1 1,962 9.1 2,121 9.9

P20—Kent 3,932 13.4 4,356 14.0 4,793 14.4 4,390 13.8 3,816 12.1

P21—Lancashire 8,417 14.9 8,806 15.2 8,769 15.5 9,064 16.3 8,834 17.0

P22—Leicestershire 3,466 14.3 2,965 12.8 2,925 12.6 2,658 12.3 2,714 12.2

P23—Lincolnshire 1,807 13.9 1,746 12.0 1,651 11.0 1,804 12.1 2,463 13.1

P24—Merseyside 4,418 9.7 4,479 10.2 5,022 10.9 5,655 12.3 5,074 12.5

P25—Metropolitan and City 24,834 12.7 20,985 11.4 20,779 12.3 19,945 12.8 21,477 12.9

P26—Norfolk 1,790 10.9 1,591 9.8 1,472 8.4 1,939 11.1 1,850 10.6

P27—Northamptonshire 1,492 14.2 1,860 13.8 1,672 12.9 2,060 13.9 2,324 14.7

P28—Northumbria 5,183 11.9 5,677 10.9 6,030 11.4 6,659 12.8 6,090 12.0

P29—North Wales 1,939 11.6 1,648 9.9 1,579 9.3 1,614 9.6 1,944 11.9

P30—North Yorkshire 1,724 10.7 1,624 10.6 1,928 11.3 1,707 11.6 1,577 12.0

P31—Nottinghamshire 3,685 13.8 4,258 13.6 3,795 12.5 4,103 13.9 3,866 13.7

P32—South Wales 6,642 14.1 6,850 14.5 6,308 13.8 6,276 14.6 6,349 14.6

P33—South Yorkshire 4,732 14.3 3,998 13.1 4,049 11.4 4,192 11.7 4,464 12.6

P34—Staffordshire 3,670 13.2 3,796 13.1 3,882 13.0 3,536 12.7 3,357 13.2

P35—Suffolk 1,255 10.3 1,190 9.9 1,220 9.3 1,361 11.7 1,487 12.1

P36—Surrey 1,849 11.1 1,464 9.6 1,660 10.2 1,924 12.1 1,998 13.0

P37—Sussex 3,468 12.3 3,604 12.8 3,480 12.9 3,942 15.4 4,043 15.7

P38—Thames Valley 4,616 11.8 5,407 13.4 5,449 13.7 5,250 14.5 8,623 16.1

P39—Warwickshire 729 8.0 717 8.4 714 8.4 685 8.5 786 9.1

P40—West Mercia 2,283 10.5 2,613 10.8 2,969 11.4 2,987 11.4 3,415 12.6

P41—West Midlands 8,934 11.8 10,714 13.3 12,320 15.3 11,659 14.8 11,607 13.7

P42—West Yorkshire 11,070 14.3 12,108 15.0 12,142 14.4 14,275 18.0 16,528 20.6

P43—Wiltshire 1,344 9.4 1,578 10.8 1,159 9.2 1,056 8.7 1,155 9.0

§ Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
To ask the Solicitor-General what research has been carried out to investigate the reasons for differences in the discontinuance rates for charges of violence against the person, criminal damage and motoring offences. [35953]

§ The Solicitor-General
[holding answer 14 February 2002]A survey of discontinuance was conducted in six branches of the Crown Prosecution Service during the period October to December 1998.
Data were collected on a matrix of 25 reasons for discontinuance and 11 types of offence, as shown in the table. The survey showed that 18.5 per cent. of all discontinuances related to violence against the person, 7.9 per cent. to criminal damage, and 29 per cent. to motoring offences.
756W
The survey showed considerable variations in the reason for discontinuance for the various types of offence. The most common reasons were as follows.
In offences of violence against the person most discontinuances were recorded where a victim refused to give evidence or retracted a complaint. These amounted to almost 9 per cent. of total discontinuances for the period. In offences of criminal damage the most common reason was the lack of an essential legal element in the prosecution case. These amounted to 1.4 per cent. of all discontinuances. In motoring offences the most common reason was the lack of an essential legal element in the prosecution case: these amounted to 7.4 per cent. of all discontinuance. Other significant reasons were unreliable evidence of identification (4.5 per cent.) and the likelihood of conviction resulting in only a small or nominal penalty (4.5 per cent.).
757W

Discontinuance survey October to December 1998—Reasons for discontinuance as percentage of all discontinuances

Reason for discontinuance Violence against person Sexual offences Burglary Robbery Theft and handling stolen goods Fraud and forgery Criminal damage Drug offences Motoring offences Public order Other offences Total

1. Inadmissible evidence—Breach of PACE 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1

2. Inadmissible evidence—Other 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.2

3. Unreliable confession 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2

4. Conflict of evidence 0.7 0.2 0.8 0.0 0.7 0.0 0.2 0.1 1.1 0.6 0.1 4.4

5. Essential legal element missing 2.3 0.3 1.9 0.2 6.4 0.4 1.4 0.7 7.4 1.8 1.6 24.4

6. Unreliable witness (es) 2.9 0.5 0.3 0.1 0.6 0.1 1.1 0.0 0.3 0.2 0.1 6.1

7. Identification unreliable 0.4 0.0 1.0 0.4 0.7 0.0 0.1 0.0 4.5 0.7 0.3 8.1

8. Effect on victims health 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.4

9. Defendant elderly/suffering significant ill health 0.1 0.5 0.4 0.0 0.7 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.4 0.3 0.2 2.7

10. Genuine mistake or misunderstanding 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.8

11. Loss/harm minor and one incident 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.5 0.2 1.1

12. Loss/harm put right 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.4 0.0 0.6 0.1 0.0 1.4

13. Long delay between offence and charge/trial date 0.5 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.4 1.1 0.0 0.0 2.3

14. Very small/nominal penalty likely 0.3 0.0 1.1 0.0 3.2 0.6 1.1 0.6 4.5 1.4 1.6 14.4

15. Information likely to harm national security/international relations 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

16. Caution more suitable 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.3 0.1 0.9 0.6 0.1 1.6 0.5 5.4

17. Youth of offender 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.5

18. Case not ready/adjournment refused 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.0 1.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 1.0 0.2 0.1 3.1

19. Offence taken into consideration elsewhere 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.4 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.1 1.2

20. Victim refuses to give evidence/retracts 8.9 0.2 0.5 0.0 0.9 0.1 0.9 0.0 0.3 1.0 0.3 12.9

21. Other civilian witness refuses to give evidence/retracts 0.4 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.4 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 1.4

22. Victim fails to attend unexpectedly 0.8 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.0 1.7

23. Other civilian witness fails to attend unexpectedly 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.6

24. Police witness fails to attend unexpectedly 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 1.1 0.1 0.0 1.2

25. Documents produced at court 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 5.3 0.0 0.0 5.4

Total 18.5 1.7 6.7 1.0 17.0 1.7 7.9 2.5 29.1 8.7 5.4 100

Discontinuance in magistrates courts—Table 1
	1999	2000	2001
Total	Discontinued	Percentage	Discontinued	Percentage	Discontinued	Percentage
P40 West Mercia	2,969	11.4	2,987	11.4	3,415	12.6
P41 West Midlands	12,320	15.3	11,659	14.8	11,607	13.7
P42 West Yorkshire	12,142	14.4	14,275	18.0	16,528	20.6
P43 Wiltshire	1,159	9.2	1,056	8.7	1,155	9.00

Crown court acquittals—Table 2
	Judge ordered acquittals (percentage)	Judge directed acquittals (percentage)	Acquittals after trial (percentage)
1999
Total	9,331 (10.7)	1,849 (2.1)	6,958 (8.0)
P01 Avon and Somerset	220 (9.7)	48 (2.1)	178 (7.8)
P02 Bedfordshire	69 (9.6)	27 (3.8)	86 (12.00
P03 Cambridgeshire	69 (6.6)	19 (1.8)	81 (7.8)
P04 Cheshire	121 (7.6)	35 (2.2)	119 (7.50
P06 Cleveland	112 (9.2)	14 (1.2)	55 (4.5)
P07 Cumbria	60 (9.0)	9 (1.3)	35 (5.2)
P08 Derbyshire	102 (7.7)	16 (1.2)	70 (5.3)
P09 Devon and Cornwal	214 (11.9)	41 (2.3)	111(6.2)
P10 Dorset	72 (8.5)	15 (1.8)	74 (8.7)
P11 Durham	84 (7.8)	18 (1.7)	59 (5.5)
P12 Dyfed Powys	58 (9.0)	18 (2.8)	68 (10.5)
P13 Essex	250 (12.7)	39 (2.0)	212 (10.8)
P14 Gloucestershire	68 (13.1)	10 (1.9)	32 (6.1)
P15 Greater Manchester	623 (11.2)	144 (2.6)	477 (8.5)
P16 Gwent	80 (7.6)	12 (1.1)	89 (8.5)
P17 Hampshire	346 (11.3)	82 (2.7)	321 (10.5)
P18 Hertfordshire	124 (10.4)	32 (2.7)	128 (10.8)
P19 Humberside	82 (6.5)	18 (1.4)	57 (4.5)
P20 Kent	281 (13.8)	80 (3.9)	179 (8.8)
P21 Lancashire	402 (13.8)	51 (1.8)	153 (5.3)
P22 Leicestershire	174 (11.0)	17 (1.1)	103 (6.5)
P23 Lincolnshire	56 (8.2)	11 (1.6)	35 (5.1)
P24 Merseyside	399 (11.6)	49 (1.4)	259 (7.5)
P25 Metropolitan and City	1,864 (13.7)	461 (3.4)	1,888 (13.9)
P26 Norfolk	78 (10.5)	16 (2.2)	53 (7.1)
P27 Northamptonshire	111 (12.0)	8 (0.9)	41 (4.4)
P28 Northumbria	337 (11.2)	55 (1.8)	131 (4.3)
P29 North Wales	45 (6.8)	11 (1.7)	39 (5.9)
P30 North Yorkshire	103 (9.7)	9 (0.8)	67 (6.3)
P31 Nottinghamshire	252.(9.1)	23 (0.8)	101 (3.7)
P32 South Wales	212.(8.3)	45 (1.8)	192 (7.5)
P33 South Yorkshire	268 (9.2)	40 (1.4)	119 (4.1)
P34 Staffordshire	170 (11.1)	35 (2.3)	99 (6.5)
P35 Suffolk	41 (5.1)	22 (2.7)	98 (12.1)
P36 Surrey	97 (11.8)	15 (1.8)	86 (10.5)
P37 Sussex	182 (11.4)	43 (2.7)	152 (9.5)
P38 Thames Valley	125 (8.8)	35 (2.5)	151 (10.6)
P39 Warwickshire	16 (4.6)	6 (1.7)	5 (1.4)
P40 West Mercia	114 (9.5)	24 (2.0)	75 (6.3)
P41 West Midlands	678 (11.8)	121 (2.1)	369 (6.4)
P42 West Yorkshire	542 (8.5)	71 (1.1)	271 (4.2)
P43 Wiltshire	30 (7.1)	4 (0.9)	40 (9.4)

	Judge ordered acquittals/percentage	Judge directed acquittals/percentage	Acquittals after trial/percentage
P10 Dorset	62 (8.6)	36 (5.0)	62 (8.6)
P11 Durham	113 (11.7)	27 (2.8)	44 (4.6)
P12 Dyfed Powys	40 (8.5)	22 (4.7)	54 (11.4)
P13 Essex	155 (10.6)	26 (1.8)	147 (10.1
P14 Gloucestershire	47 (11.1)	9 (2.1)	44 (10.4)
P15 Greater Manchester	727 (12.9)	144 (2.5)	399 (7.1)
P16 Gwent	81 (7.6)	13 (1.2)	77 (7.3)
P17 Hampshire	390 (12.2)	101 (3.2)	364 (11.4)
P18 Hertfordshire	127 (12.1)	20 (1.9)	135 (12.9)
P19 Humberside	87 (7.4)	18 (1.5)	60 (5.1)
P20 Kent	254 (12.1)	54 (2.6)	212 (10.1)
P21 Lancashire	430 (14.7)	40 (1.4)	139 (4.7)
P22 Leicestershire	207 (12.4)	14 (0.8)	59 (4.1)
P23 Lincolnshire	68 (9.7)	16 (2.3)	37 (5.3)
P24 Merseyside	524 (14,4)	61 (1.7)	263 (7.2)
P25 Metropolitan and City	1,853 (14.4)	411(3.2)	1.668 (13.0)
P26 Norfolk	100 (12.4)	17 (2.1)	83 (10.3)
P27 Northamptonshire	124 (15.4)	11(1.4)	45 (5.6)
P28 Northumbria	327 (11.5)	38 (1.3)	108 (3.8)
P29 North Wales	40 (5.4)	12 (1.6)	72 (9.7)
P30 North Yorkshire	119 (13.6)	13 (1.5)	47 (5.4)
P31 Nottinghamshire	300 (11.8)	38 (1.5)	96 (3.8)
P32 South Wales	194 (7.8)	41 (1.7)	214 (8.6)
P33 South Yorkshire	251 (8.7)	24 (0.8)	96 (3.3)
P34 Staffordshire	201 (13.4)	31 (2.1)	85 (5.7)
P35 Suffolk	60 (8.0)	15 (2.0)	70 (9.3)
P36 Surrey	88 (12.2)	14 (1.9)	70 (9.7)
P37 Sussex	219 (14,0)	32 (2.0)	140 (9.0)
P38 Thames valley	95 (6.8)	44 (3.2)	161(11.6)
P39 Warwickshire	23 (6.9)	(0.0)	12 (3.6)
P40 West Merica	93 (7.2)	39 (3.0)	79 (6.1)
P41 West Midlands	858 (13.7)	106 (1.7)	388 (6.2)
P42 West Yorkshire	685 (12.5)	75 (1.4)	260 (4.8)
P43 Wiltshire	24 (7.0)	16 (4.3)	23 (6.7)

Discontinuance 1992–2001
	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996
	Total	%	Total	%	Total	%	Total	%	Total	%
42 Areas	193,110	13.3	175,025	12.8	159,803	11.7	156,628	12.0	153,274	12.0
P01—Avon and Somerset	—	—	—	—	—	—	3,941	—	3,833	17.6
P02—Bedfordshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	1,563	—	1,665	18.3
P03—Cambridgeshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	1,686	—	1,636	14.8
P04—Cheshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	1,567	—	1,655	10.6
P06—Cleveland	—	—	—	—	—	—	2,821	—	2,598	23.8
P07—Cumbria	—	—	—	—	—	—	1,705	—	1,715	13.9
P08—Derbyshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	2,009	—	2,606	19.3
P09—Devon and Cornwall	—	—	—	—	—	—	2,796	—	3,179	16.1
Pl0—Dorset	—	—	—	—	—	—	1,383	—	1,898	16.0
P11—Durham	—	—	—	—	—	—	1,811	—	1,355	16.2
P12—Dyfed Powys	—	—	—	—	—	—	1,513	—	1,511	15.9
P13—Essex	—	—	—	—	—	—	2,400	—	2,669	14.1
P14—Gloucestershire	—	—	—	—	—	—	2,009	—	2,312	24.5
P15—Greater Manchester	—	—	—	—	—	—	7,454	—	9,101	13.3
P16—Gwent	—	—	—	—	—	—	2,049	—	2,178	21.3
P17—Hampshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	2,374	—	3,084	11.3
P18—Hertfordshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	1,782	—	1,973	17.0
P19—Humberside	—	—	—	—	—	—	1,748	—	1,909	12.7
P20—Kent	—	—	—	—	—	—	3,336	—	3,529	17.0
P21—Lancashire	—	—	—	—	—	—	4,113	—	4,532	15.2
P22—Leicestershire	—	—	—	—	—	—	4,389	—	3,606	23.0
P23—Lincolnshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	2,016	—	1,783	20.9
P24—Merseyside	—	—	—	—	—	—	4.032	—	4,176	13.5
P25—Metropolitan and City	—	—	—	—	—	—	31,338	—	25,339	17.5
P26—Norfolk	—	—	—	—	—	—	1,409	—	1,578	14.0
P27—Northamptonshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	2,073	—	1,819	23.1
P28—Northumbria	—	—	—	—	—	—	6,056	—	5,123	17.2
P29—North Wales	—	—	—	—	—	—	1,998	—	2,091	15.3
P30—North Yorkshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	1,474	—	1,401	13.5
P31—Nottinghamshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	3,281	—	4,095	20.0
P32—South Wales	—	—	—	—	—	—	5,597	—	6,074	19.6
P33—South Yorkshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	5,725	—	4,919	21.5
P34—Staffordshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	3,461	—	3,068	15.4
P35—Suffolk	—	—	—	—	—	—	905	—	1,210	13.8
P36—Surrey	—	—	—	—	—	—	1,913	—	1,926	16.1
P37—Sussex	—	—	—	—	—	—	3,146	—	3,023	15.4
P38—Thames Valley	—	—	—	—	—	—	4,744	—	4,854	16.7
P39—Warwickshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	926	—	852	11.8
P40—West Mercia	—	—	—	—	—	—	2,543	—	2,416	14.6
P41—West Midlands	—	—	—	—	—	—	6,636	—	7,035	14.3
P42—West Yorkshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	11,473	—	10,503	20.2
P43—Wiltshire	—	—	—	—	—	—	1,432	—	1,420	13.2

Discontinuance 1992–2001
	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
	Total	%	Total	%	Total	%	Total	%	Total	%
42 Areas	161,461	12.2	162,661	12.0	164,682	12.1	166,001	12.8	172,398	13.1
P01—Avon and Somerset	3,922	12.5	4,152	12.0	4,574	13.1	3,345	10.4	2,548	8.3
P02—Bedfordshire	1,784	12.4	1,451	11.6	1,132	10.5	1,148	11.9	1,575	14.4
P03—Cambridgeshire	1,734	10.0	1,667	9.5	1,537	9.1	1,249	8.5	1,153	10.4
P04—Cheshire	1,617	7.3	1,776	7.6	1,915	8.6	2,140	10.1	2,028	9.8
P06—Cleveland	2,421	13.8	2,418	12.9	2,206	11.2	2,002	10.0	2,326	11.5
P07—Cumbria	1,848	10.3	1,582	9.2	1,627	9.7	1,315	9.6	1,287	9.5
P08—Derbyshire	2,472	13.3	2,666	12.1	2,290	11.7	2,215	12.0	2,167	11.1
P09—Devon and Cornwall	3,589	12.5	3,651	13.0	3,473	12.2	3,438	12.1	3,089	12.2
P10—Dorset	1,643	12.1	1,453	11.0	1,269	9.6	1,636	12.0	1,471	11.6
P11—Durham	1,391	11.5	1,631	10.9	1,740	9.7	1,536	9.8	1,509	10.1
P12—Dyfed Powys	1,423	11.1	1,389	10.1	1,696	11.5	1,716	12.5	1,717	13.7
P13—Essex	3,170	11.2	3,042	10.4	3,477	12.0	3,432	13.7	2,997	11.5
P14—Gloucestershire	2,390	17.4	2,369	15.3	2,254	15.1	2,410	16.9	2,318	16.4
P15—Greater Manchester	8,588	9.9	9,410	10.3	9,480	10.6	9,410	10.8	9,985	11.1
P16—Gwent	2,605	14.8	2,494	13.0	2,364	12.5	2,303	12.3	2,217	12.0
P17—Hampshire	3,530	8.9	3,196	8.2	4,333	10.1	3,842	9.2	3,769	10.0
P18—Hertfordshire	2,214	13.0	2,238	13.0	1,696	10.0	2,161	11.1	2,280	11.8
P19—Humberside	1,841	8.8	2,042	9.4	1,852	8.1	1,962	9.1	2,121	9.9
P20—Kent	3,932	13.4	4,356	14.0	4,793	14.4	4,390	13.8	3,816	12.1
P21—Lancashire	8,417	14.9	8,806	15.2	8,769	15.5	9,064	16.3	8,834	17.0
P22—Leicestershire	3,466	14.3	2,965	12.8	2,925	12.6	2,658	12.3	2,714	12.2
P23—Lincolnshire	1,807	13.9	1,746	12.0	1,651	11.0	1,804	12.1	2,463	13.1
P24—Merseyside	4,418	9.7	4,479	10.2	5,022	10.9	5,655	12.3	5,074	12.5
P25—Metropolitan and City	24,834	12.7	20,985	11.4	20,779	12.3	19,945	12.8	21,477	12.9
P26—Norfolk	1,790	10.9	1,591	9.8	1,472	8.4	1,939	11.1	1,850	10.6
P27—Northamptonshire	1,492	14.2	1,860	13.8	1,672	12.9	2,060	13.9	2,324	14.7
P28—Northumbria	5,183	11.9	5,677	10.9	6,030	11.4	6,659	12.8	6,090	12.0
P29—North Wales	1,939	11.6	1,648	9.9	1,579	9.3	1,614	9.6	1,944	11.9
P30—North Yorkshire	1,724	10.7	1,624	10.6	1,928	11.3	1,707	11.6	1,577	12.0
P31—Nottinghamshire	3,685	13.8	4,258	13.6	3,795	12.5	4,103	13.9	3,866	13.7
P32—South Wales	6,642	14.1	6,850	14.5	6,308	13.8	6,276	14.6	6,349	14.6
P33—South Yorkshire	4,732	14.3	3,998	13.1	4,049	11.4	4,192	11.7	4,464	12.6
P34—Staffordshire	3,670	13.2	3,796	13.1	3,882	13.0	3,536	12.7	3,357	13.2
P35—Suffolk	1,255	10.3	1,190	9.9	1,220	9.3	1,361	11.7	1,487	12.1
P36—Surrey	1,849	11.1	1,464	9.6	1,660	10.2	1,924	12.1	1,998	13.0
P37—Sussex	3,468	12.3	3,604	12.8	3,480	12.9	3,942	15.4	4,043	15.7
P38—Thames Valley	4,616	11.8	5,407	13.4	5,449	13.7	5,250	14.5	8,623	16.1
P39—Warwickshire	729	8.0	717	8.4	714	8.4	685	8.5	786	9.1
P40—West Mercia	2,283	10.5	2,613	10.8	2,969	11.4	2,987	11.4	3,415	12.6
P41—West Midlands	8,934	11.8	10,714	13.3	12,320	15.3	11,659	14.8	11,607	13.7
P42—West Yorkshire	11,070	14.3	12,108	15.0	12,142	14.4	14,275	18.0	16,528	20.6
P43—Wiltshire	1,344	9.4	1,578	10.8	1,159	9.2	1,056	8.7	1,155	9.0

Discontinuance survey October to December 1998—Reasons for discontinuance as percentage of all discontinuances
Reason for discontinuance	Violence against person	Sexual offences	Burglary	Robbery	Theft and handling stolen goods	Fraud and forgery	Criminal damage	Drug offences	Motoring offences	Public order	Other offences	Total
1. Inadmissible evidence—Breach of PACE	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.1
2. Inadmissible evidence—Other	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.2
3. Unreliable confession	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2
4. Conflict of evidence	0.7	0.2	0.8	0.0	0.7	0.0	0.2	0.1	1.1	0.6	0.1	4.4
5. Essential legal element missing	2.3	0.3	1.9	0.2	6.4	0.4	1.4	0.7	7.4	1.8	1.6	24.4
6. Unreliable witness (es)	2.9	0.5	0.3	0.1	0.6	0.1	1.1	0.0	0.3	0.2	0.1	6.1
7. Identification unreliable	0.4	0.0	1.0	0.4	0.7	0.0	0.1	0.0	4.5	0.7	0.3	8.1
8. Effect on victims health	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.4
9. Defendant elderly/suffering significant ill health	0.1	0.5	0.4	0.0	0.7	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.4	0.3	0.2	2.7
10. Genuine mistake or misunderstanding	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.1	0.2	0.8
11. Loss/harm minor and one incident	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.5	0.2	1.1
12. Loss/harm put right	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.4	0.0	0.6	0.1	0.0	1.4
13. Long delay between offence and charge/trial date	0.5	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.4	1.1	0.0	0.0	2.3
14. Very small/nominal penalty likely	0.3	0.0	1.1	0.0	3.2	0.6	1.1	0.6	4.5	1.4	1.6	14.4
15. Information likely to harm national security/international relations	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
16. Caution more suitable	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.3	0.1	0.9	0.6	0.1	1.6	0.5	5.4
17. Youth of offender	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.5
18. Case not ready/adjournment refused	0.3	0.1	0.1	0.0	1.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	1.0	0.2	0.1	3.1
19. Offence taken into consideration elsewhere	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.0	0.4	0.0	0.2	0.1	0.1	1.2
20. Victim refuses to give evidence/retracts	8.9	0.2	0.5	0.0	0.9	0.1	0.9	0.0	0.3	1.0	0.3	12.9
21. Other civilian witness refuses to give evidence/retracts	0.4	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.4	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	1.4
22. Victim fails to attend unexpectedly	0.8	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.1	0.0	1.7
23. Other civilian witness fails to attend unexpectedly	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.6
24. Police witness fails to attend unexpectedly	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	1.1	0.1	0.0	1.2
25. Documents produced at court	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	5.3	0.0	0.0	5.4
Total	18.5	1.7	6.7	1.0	17.0	1.7	7.9	2.5	29.1	8.7	5.4	100