Rape: Trials
(asked on 23rd May 2023) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of rape trials in England and Wales that have been postponed (a) once, (b) twice and (c) three times in each year since 2010.
We have interpreted your request as being for ineffective trials, which is where the trial does not commence on the due date and requires rescheduling. This could be due to a variety of reasons, such as the absence of a defendant or a witness or adjournment requests from either the prosecution or defence.
The table below sets out the data held by HMCTS for trials in the Crown Court for the offence of Rape which have been ineffective once, twice, and three times in each from 2015.
Year | Ineffective once | Ineffective twice | Ineffective three times |
2015 | 133 | 5 | ~ |
2016 | 142 | 16 | ~ |
2017 | 138 | 14 | ~ |
2018 | 120 | 11 | ~ |
2019 | 52 | 10 | ~ |
2020 | 27 | ~ | ~ |
2021 | 82 | 10 | ~ |
2022 | 119 | 23 | ~ |
The table below sets out the data held by HMCTS for trials in the Crown Court for the offence of Murder which have been ineffective once, twice, and three times in each from 2015.
Year | Ineffective once | Ineffective twice | Ineffective three times | Ineffective over three times |
2015 | 8 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
2016 | 9 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
2017 | 14 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
2018 | 5 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
2019 | 10 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
2020 | 11 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
2021 | 28 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
2022 | 24 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
~ Equates to a value of fewer than 5
Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and is the best data that is available.
Data are taken from a live management information system and can change over time.
Information on the number of trials which have been ineffective once, twice, and three times are not available prior to 2015. The number of ineffective trial volumes for rape and murder offences significantly increased in 2022. This was primarily due to the Criminal Bar Association action between April and September 2022.
If a trial date was ineffective more than once in the same year it has been counted for each time.