House of Commons - Home Affairs

Select Committee on Home Affairs Written Evidence

APPENDIX 63

Supplementary memorandum submitted by the Crown Prosecution Service

CPS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE MONITORING SNAPSHOT: CASES FINALISED IN DECEMBER 2006

INTRODUCTION

In December 2006 we conducted our annual snapshot counting and analyzing the number of cases of domestic violence finalised in the month of December. This was the fifth and final snapshot monitoring exercise and the findings are contained in this report, along with findings from 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 to identify emerging trends. The snapshot will be replaced in 2008-09 with an annual Hate Crimes Report.

Domestic violence snapshot data

The data in this report indicates an overall improvement year on year and over the past five years:

— Recorded cases of domestic violence increased by 3% compared with December 2005 to over 3,100 cases charged for prosecution; double those recorded in 2002.

— 61% of recorded offences were assaults compared with 66% in 2002.

— Conviction rates rose from their lowest recorded point of 46% in 2003 to 59% in 2005 and to 66% in 2006—a year on year improvement of 7 percentage points and an improvement of 20 percentage points over three years.

— Magistrates' courts had a conviction rate of 64%.

— Youth courts and the Crown Court had the highest conviction rates at 76% and 75% respectively but fewer cases pass through youth courts.

— Victim retractions fell from 37% in 2002 to 28% in 2006. Of those victims retracting, 49% of cases continued with 40% of these resulting in a guilty plea, compared with a similar continuance of 50% in December 2005 and less than a quarter in December 2004.

— Over the past five years:

— Fewer cases were discontinued by the CPS (16% in 2002, 17% in 2003, 13% in 2005 and 11% in 2006);

— fewer cases were dropped because no evidence was offered (down from 17% in 2002 to 16% 2006);

— only 0.2% of cases resulted in a judge ordered acquittal, compared with 0.4% in 2002; and

— bindovers fell from 13% in 2002 (15% in 2003) to only 3% in 2006.

The 2006 snapshot reflects the national picture across the CPS—that of an increased volume of cases with more successful outcomes and fewer cases dropped by the CPS.

National domestic violence performance 2006-07

Since April 2005, Areas have reported on their performance in relation to the prosecution of hate crimes as part of the Area performance review system.

— Over 57,000 domestic violence cases were charged for prosecution in 2006-07.

— There has been an increase of 51% in recorded domestic violence cases since the quarter ending June 2005.

— Convictions for domestic violence cases increased from 60% in April to June 2005 to 66.6% in January to March 2007; this was a significant improvement against the background of an increasing volume of prosecutions.

— Prosecutions that were dropped—including judge ordered acquittals, cases in which no evidence was offered and bindovers—fell from 32.7% to 26.9% over the same period.

— Bindovers fell from 17.7% to 8.7% over the same period.

This report should be read against the background of the following changes implemented since the December 2005 snapshot.

Domestic violence delivery 2006-07

Good Practice Guidance

Lessons of good practice from the CPS Domestic Violence Project were compiled as Good Practice Guidance for the CPS and were used to inform the development of Area Business Plans for 2006-07.

During 2006-07, Areas were assessed on their implementation of this Good Practice Guidance. Areas indicated improved performance overall:

— During 2006-07 the national target of increasing successful domestic violence prosecutions to 64% was exceeded, with an increase to 65.2%.

— 95% of Area Domestic Violence Coordinators attended their local domestic violence Forums, compared with 80% in 2005-06.

— 38 out of 42 CPS Areas have improved, or maintained, their domestic violence community engagement in 2006-07 compared with 2005-06.

— Since April 2005, over 2,800 staff have been trained in domestic violence, including all lawyers prosecuting in specialist domestic violence courts.

Specialist Domestic Violence Courts

The SDVC Programme has been the centrepiece of the Government-wide National Domestic Violence Delivery Plan. The programme is jointly managed by the Home Office, the CPS and Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS). The SDVC programme with its advisory expert panel produced a National Resource Manual containing 11 core components of a SDVC—including Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs) and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs).

Following the successful selection of 25 SDVCs in 2005-06, a further 39 SDVC systems were selected in 2006-07, making a total of 64 operational systems from April 2007. The SDVC Programme has enabled the development of a network of IDVAs to support victims within the SDVC areas and MARACs to assess the risks faced by victims.

The SDVC Programme was shortlisted for Whitehall & Westminster World's 2006 Award for Joined-Up Government.

Violence against Women

The CPS is developing work on Violence against Women; linking domestic violence with other types of violence, for example forced marriage, honour-based violence, rape, female genital mutilation, violence against children, prostitution, elder abuse and trafficking.

In March 2006, the CPS ran a poster campaign about violence against women, highlighting the range of offences that could be prosecuted within this theme. The campaign also listed support services for victims.

In November 2006, the CPS was awarded top marks across government for its work on violence against women by the End Violence Against Women Campaign.[298]

Employee domestic violence policy

The Crown Prosecution Service employee domestic violence policy was revised in 2006-07. The CPS is part of the Corporate Alliance Against Domestic Violence which is a group of progressive companies and organisations working individually and collectively to address the impact of domestic violence in the workplace. The new CPS policy has expanded not only on the support available for staff victims, but also on the ways to address perpetrators in the workplace—whether they are harassing staff or committing acts of domestic violence at home. Care First provides any CPS employee (and their immediate dependants) facing domestic violence with a 24-hour counselling service.

2007-08 work plans

The remaining two key aspects of the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004 were implemented on 1 July 2007:

— Section 1 makes the breach of a non-molestation order a criminal offence, punishable by up to five years imprisonment on indictment; and

— Section 4 makes couples who have never cohabited or been married eligible for non-molestation and occupation orders, under the Family Law Act 1996.

The Home Office will make any further announcements on implementation of Section 12. This extends the courts' powers under the criminal provisions of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, enabling them to impose restraining orders when sentencing for any offence or on acquittal.

The next steps for the national SDVC Programme are to:

— review the progress of those SDVCs selected in 2005-06;

— embed the SDVCs selected in 2006-07;

— select further SDVCs following the review and implementation programmes; and

— award grants to IDVA services supporting existing and new SDVCs and services outside of SDVC Areas.

In December 2006 the CPS launched its Single Equality Scheme, which included plans for a strategy and action plans for tackling Violence against Women to be drawn up by March 2008. Violence against women has been prioritised with the CPS six national strategic themes for 2007-08.

A pilot is being carried out to investigate the prosecution of forced marriage and honour-based violence cases. The domestic violence team will also undertake an equality and diversity review of domestic violence prosecutions.

All prosecutors, caseworkers and designated caseworkers will have been trained by March 2008.

CPS human resources advisors will also be trained on the revised CPS employee domestic violence policy and ensure that it is monitored.

During 2007-08, CPS will focus on driving up performance through improved performance management and implementation of good practice, with a new target of 70% successful prosecutions by April 2008.

July 2007

KEY FINDINGS

The key findings for the month of December 2006 are summarised below.

1. Monitoring forms were completed in respect of 3,137 defendants, compared with 3,045 for December 2005, an increase of 3%. 2,299 forms were completed in December 2004, 1,882 forms in December 2003 and 1,569 in December 2002.

2. There was still evidence of some under-recording. In addition to the present information, collected through manual records over a period of one month, information on proceedings for domestic violence is captured through the COMPASS electronic case management system. Comparison of Domestic Violence Snapshot data for December 2006 with the figures captured through Compass suggests that the former were under-recorded by approximately 18%, an improvement on the 22% under-recorded in 2005. This reinforces the positive steps that have been taken within CPS in regular data collection.

3. The overwhelming majority of offences recorded were perpetrated by male defendants (94% of the total), while 89% of victims were female. This data has been consistent since 2002.

4. 19% of victims were spouses or former spouses, compared with 22% in 2005 and 61% partners or former partners, the same as the previous year. 35% were identified as a vulnerable or intimidated witness, compared with only 25% in 2005. The remaining 20% were family or extended family in 2006, compared with 17% in 2005.

5. 43% of defendants were aged between 31 and 45 while 40% were aged between 18 and 30 (compared to 45% and 37% in 2005). The most common age for victims was 18-30 (33%) slightly higher than the figure of 30% recorded in 2005, although the age of the victim was not stated in 21% of cases.

6. Recording of ethnicity improved. 3% of returns showed the ethnicity of the defendant as "not stated" (ie ethnicity information had not been provided by the police, or by the defendant), compared with 9% in 2005. The ethnicity of victims was "not stated" in 21% of returns, compared with 39% in 2005.

7. Of those with recorded ethnicity, 86% of defendants and 90% of victims were recorded as white British, compared with figures of 85% and 88% respectively in 2005.

8. 50% of offences recorded were common assaults, compared with 54% in 2005, 15% were criminal damage, the same as in 2005, and 9% actual bodily harm, compared with 11% in 2005. There were seven murders in 2006 compared with five in 2005.

9. There was a further improvement in the conviction rate for Domestic Violence. In 2006, 2,065 (66%) were convicted, the remaining 1,072 (34%) resulting in an unsuccessful outcome. The conviction rate of 66% compared with 59% in 2005, 53% in 2004, 46% in 2003, and 50% in 2002.

10. The conviction rate for cases prosecuted in magistrates' courts was 64%.

11. The conviction rate for cases prosecuted in the Crown Court was higher, although fewer cases were dealt with. 378 cases were dealt with, of which 75% were convicted. This is to be welcomed due to the serious nature of crimes dealt with in these courts.

12. Youth courts also achieved a higher percentage of successful outcomes (76%), but the number of prosecutions recorded was low (72).

13. A National Review of SDVCs is currently being undertaken by the National SDVC Steering Group, which will include a full analysis of all COMPASS data from the 2006-07 SDVCs. It was not possible to show discrete data for SDVCs within the present report; in the 15 Areas which provided snapshot data returns for SDVCs, there was a 54% variance compared with COMPASS and therefore this was not a reliable and representative sample.

14. Guilty pleas increased to 58% from 52% in 2005. A guilty plea rate of 57% was recorded in magistrates' courts, 75% in youth courts and 62% in the Crown Court.

15. Convictions after trial increased to 8% from 7% in 2005; 8% 2004, 3% in 2003 and 4% in 2002.

16. The 34% of cases resulting in an unsuccessful outcome consisted of 30% dropped by the CPS and 4% found not guilty after trial; compared to 41% (35% dropped by the CPS and 6% found not guilty after trial) in 2005, 47% (42% dropped by CPS and 5% not guilty after trial) in 2004, 54% (49% dropped by CPS and 5% not guilty after trial) in 2003 and 50% (47% dropped by CPS and 3% not guilty after trial) in 2002.

17. Of cases dropped, 74% were dropped for evidential reasons, similar to the figure of 75% in 2005. 26% were dropped for public interest reasons. Of the total of 3,137 cases, 22% were dropped for evidential reasons, compared with 26% in 2005 and 8% for public interest reasons similar to the 9% recorded in 2005.

18. Within the 30% (933) of prosecutions dropped:

(11%)

(16%)

(0.2%)

(3%)

19. In 2006, 129 (4%) of cases were found not guilty after trial, compared with 183 (6%) in 2005, 123 (5%) cases in 2004, 88 (5%) in 2003 and 52 (3%) in 2002. This needs to be looked at in the overall context of the rise of guilty pleas (from 52% in 2005 to 58% in 2006) and convictions after trial (increasing from 7% 2005 to 8% 2006)

20. There was a fall in the proportion of victims who retracted their statement. In 2002 and 2003 37% of victims retracted. This fell to 35% in 2004, to 30% in 2005 and to 28% in 2006.

21. Of those retracting 30% did so before plea (39% in 2005), and 63% before trial (53% in 2005). In 73% of retractions the police obtained a formal withdrawal statement, compared to 66% in 2005.

22. 896 victims, in 868 cases, retracted in 2006 compared with 951 victims in 2005. In 421 (49%) of these 868 cases, the CPS decided to continue with the prosecution after retraction. This compared with 341 (36%) in 2005, 321 (40%) in 2004, 27% of cases in 2003 and 19% of cases in 2002. The revised DV policy and guidance for prosecutors (Feb 2005), emphasised that decisions on the continuation of cases following victim retraction should include taking into consideration the safety of victims and their children.

23. In 40% of cases continuing after retraction, the defendant pleaded guilty; compared with 50% in 2005 and 24% in 2004. 8% of victims gave evidence after retraction, compared with 12% in 2005 and 7% in 2004. In 6% of cases other evidence sufficed similar to last year.

24. A witness summons was issued in 172 cases which continued after retraction (35%) compared with 91 (24%) of cases in 2005 and 140 (27%) of cases in 2004. The revised DV policy and guidance for prosecutors (Feb 2005) provided a clear framework for how to assess the safety of victims and their children and the kinds of factors that should be taken into account when considering a witness summons. Emphasis is placed on the use of a summons in cases where this is essential to ensure that the prosecution can continue, in order to protect the victim and their children from any further violence.

Table 1

DEFENDANT'S DETAILS

DECEMBER 2006


Area	Number of defendants	Male	Female	Not stated	Under 18	Age 18-30	Age 31-45	Age 46-60	Age 61 & over	Not stated

Avon & Somerset	90	79	11	0	3	34	43	10	0	0
Bedfordshire	38	37	1	0	2	11	19	5	1	0
Cambridgeshire	41	39	2	0	4	19	13	5	0	0
Cheshire	104	99	5	0	3	45	38	16	1	1
Cleveland	51	50	1	0	5	23	19	3	1	0
Cumbria	29	27	2	0	0	13	13	3	0	0
Derbyshire	72	71	1	0	0	39	25	7	1	0
Devon & Cornwall	49	46	3	0	3	19	24	3	0	0
Dorset	34	34	0	0	3	13	15	3	0	0
Durham	34	32	2	0	2	9	20	3	0	0
Dyfed Powys	30	28	2	0	3	11	13	3	0	0
Essex	74	67	7	0	2	26	37	7	1	1
Gloucestershire	48	45	3	0	2	15	20	9	2	0
Gt Manchester	185	175	10	0	8	81	71	23	2	0
Gwent	49	48	1	0	2	21	19	5	1	1
Hampshire	104	98	6	0	2	38	54	10	0	0
Hertfordshire	55	51	4	0	3	18	23	10	1	0
Humberside	50	46	4	0	1	23	23	3	0	0
Kent	91	88	3	0	3	33	44	8	0	3
Lancashire	157	146	11	0	1	64	73	19	0	0
Leicestershire	76	72	4	0	5	32	31	6	2	0
Lincolnshire	30	26	4	0	3	10	10	5	2	0
Merseyside	99	93	6	0	0	37	44	16	1	1
Metropolitan & City	214	201	13	0	4	85	95	26	3	1
Norfolk	34	31	3	0	0	5	18	9	2	0
Northants	10	10	0	0	0	5	3	2	0	0
Northumbria	153	141	12	0	5	65	67	16	0	0
North Wales	51	51	0	0	0	24	22	5	0	0
North Yorkshire	30	30	0	0	1	11	14	3	1	0
Nottinghamshire	78	75	3	0	2	35	32	8	0	1
South Wales	69	64	5	0	2	34	26	7	0	0
South Yorkshire	120	113	5	2	5	53	49	12	1	0
Staffordshire	94	91	3	0	3	33	48	10	0	0
Suffolk	49	41	7	1	5	18	18	5	2	1
Surrey	5	5	0	0	0	3	1	1	0	0
Sussex	71	69	1	1	2	22	37	8	0	2
Thames Valley	105	96	9	0	7	31	51	15	0	1
Warwickshire	29	26	3	0	6	11	8	4	0	0
West Mercia	36	35	1	0	0	10	15	11	0	0
West Midlands	265	250	14	1	11	104	114	29	3	4
West Yorkshire	123	118	5	0	5	56	47	12	0	3
Wiltshire	11	10	0	1	0	5	4	1	1	0
Casework Directorate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	3,137	2,954	177	6	118	1,244	1,360	366	29	20
%		94%	6%	0%	4%	40%	43%	12%	1%	0%

Table 2

ETHNICITY OF DEFENDANT

DECEMBER 2006


		W1	W2	W9	M1	M2	M3	M9	A1	A2	A3	A9	B1	B2	B9	O1	O9	NS
Area	Number of defendants	British	Irish	Any other white background	White & Black Caribbean	White & Black African	White & Asian	Any other mixed background	Indian	Pakistani	Bangladeshi	Any other Asian background	Caribbean	African	Any other Black background	Chinese	Any other ethnic background	Not stated

Avon & Somerset	90	83	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	1	0	0
Bedfordshire	38	26	1	2	1	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	3	1	0	0	0	1
Cambridgeshire	41	29	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	5	1	0	0	0	1	2
Cheshire	104	99	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	1
Cleveland	51	50	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cumbria	29	28	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Derbyshire	72	62	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	4	1	0	0	1	0	1
Devon & Cornwall	49	47	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dorset	34	32	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Durham	34	34	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dyfed Powys	30	28	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Essex	74	67	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	1	3	0	0	0	0
Gloucestershire	48	41	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	0
Gt Manchester	185	164	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	8	0	0	2	2	0	0	0	6
Gwent	49	49	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hampshire	104	85	2	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	9
Hertfordshire	55	44	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	6
Humberside	50	48	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Kent	91	71	1	2	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	11
Lancashire	157	146	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	1	2	0	0	1	0	1	1
Leicestershire	76	57	0	2	1	0	0	0	6	1	1	1	0	1	2	0	1	3
Lincolnshire	30	29	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Merseyside	99	87	2	0	2	1	0	3	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	1
Metropolitan & City	214	112	5	11	6	1	2	1	10	1	0	7	19	14	11	1	4	9
Norfolk	34	31	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Northants	10	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Northumbria	153	138	4	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	8
North Wales	51	46	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
North Yorkshire	30	28	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nottinghamshire	78	66	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	4
South Wales	69	54	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	11
South Yorkshire	120	103	0	1	0	0	1	3	0	1	0	2	3	3	0	0	0	3
Staffordshire	94	83	1	4	1	0	0	0	1	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Suffolk	49	41	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	0	0	0	0	2
Surrey	5	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Sussex	71	59	1	3	0	1	0	2	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2
Thames Valley	105	85	1	1	2	1	0	1	0	5	0	1	4	2	0	0	1	1
Warwickshire	29	27	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
West Mercia	36	33	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
West Midlands	265	173	8	3	2	3	0	1	20	14	2	5	21	3	3	0	2	5
West Yorkshire	123	92	0	2	2	0	1	2	2	12	0	0	3	2	0	0	0	5
Wiltshire	11	9	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Casework Directorate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	3,137	2,600	35	53	25	8	6	14	51	58	5	34	80	35	21	3	11	98
%		83%	1%	2%	1%	0%	0%	0%	2%	2%	0%	1%	3%	1%	1%	0%	0%	3%

Table 3

OFFENCES

DECEMBER 2006


Area	Number of offences	Murder	S18 GBH with intent	S20 GBH— unlawful wounding	S47 ABH	S39 Common assault (battery)	Threats to kill	Rape	Indecent assault	False imprisonment	Harassment	Breach of restraining order	Burglary	Criminal damage	Affray	Complaint of the peace	Breach of the peace	Obstruct PC	Other (assault)	Other (public order)	Other (sexual offence)	Other

Avon & Somerset	90	0	1	1	11	64	3	0	0	0	8	1	0	29	1	0	1	0	7	1	1	5
Bedfordshire	38	0	0	0	7	33	0	2	0	0	2	0	0	12	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	3
Cambs.	41	0	1	0	4	47	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	6	2	0	0	1	0	1	0	4
Cheshire	104	1	2	2	12	78	3	0	0	0	11	2	0	21	5	0	0	4	0	3	6	8
Cleveland	51	0	0	0	11	31	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	16	0	0	3	0	0	4	0	1
Cumbria	29	0	0	0	2	18	0	0	0	0	6	2	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4
Derbyshire	72	0	0	2	13	59	3	0	0	0	3	0	2	22	1	0	0	0	0	2	2	11
Devon & Cornwall	49	0	1	0	6	31	0	0	0	0	5	0	1	12	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1
Dorset	34	0	0	0	6	29	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	0	0	0	2	2	0	2	9
Durham	34	0	0	1	8	17	0	1	0	0	5	1	1	12	1	0	0	0	1	2	0	4
Dyfed Powys	30	0	0	1	4	18	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	8	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	8
Essex	74	0	2	2	11	60	0	0	0	1	4	0	1	16	0	0	0	0	2	3	0	12
Gloucester	48	0	0	1	7	24	1	2	0	0	8	0	0	10	0	0	0	2	1	4	1	6
Gt Manchester	185	0	5	3	24	130	5	1	0	0	9	9	1	50	1	0	7	2	3	8	4	23
Gwent	49	0	0	3	7	25	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	16	3	0	0	0	0	3	0	10
Hampshire	104	0	0	3	16	77	3	2	0	0	16	1	0	21	2	0	0	1	6	11	1	14
Hertfordshire	55	1	0	0	1	46	0	0	0	0	6	1	0	9	1	0	0	1	0	2	0	12
Humberside	50	0	1	2	13	42	0	8	0	0	5	3	2	7	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	3
Kent	91	1	1	1	14	62	0	2	0	0	3	2	0	25	0	0	7	0	0	0	0	13
Lancashire	157	0	2	1	20	113	3	0	0	0	4	0	1	25	1	0	27	0	0	3	0	12
Leicestershire	76	0	0	0	12	68	1	0	0	0	4	0	0	16	3	0	0	0	0	5	0	9
Lincolnshire	30	0	0	1	2	18	0	16	15	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	4
Merseyside	99	0	2	2	12	78	3	0	0	0	11	0	0	20	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	9
Metropolitan & City	214	1	2	9	31	199	5	5	2	3	25	3	3	39	0	0	0	0	1	9	0	21
Norfolk	34	0	0	0	4	29	2	1	2	0	1	0	0	7	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	4
Northants	10	0	0	0	1	8	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Northumbria	153	0	4	2	10	61	1	1	4	2	13	1	2	30	3	0	43	0	1	3	3	18
North Wales	51	0	0	1	8	46	5	0	0	0	2	0	2	13	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	9
North Yorkshire	30	0	0	0	5	25	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
Nottinghamshire	78	0	1	1	5	82	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	8	0	0	0	2	1	3	0	6
South Wales	69	0	0	4	10	62	0	4	5	0	5	0	1	15	0	0	0	1	2	0	2	3
South Yorkshire	120	0	1	1	11	74	2	0	0	1	8	1	2	40	1	0	1	1	3	3	0	8
Staffordshire	94	0	0	0	7	76	2	1	1	1	9	0	2	32	4	0	0	2	1	4	5	8
Suffolk	49	2	1	3	3	30	0	4	1	2	0	0	0	10	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	7
Surrey	5	0	0	0	2	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Sussex	71	0	0	1	9	66	1	0	0	0	9	7	1	18	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	5
Thames Valley	105	0	1	1	12	83	2	2	0	0	7	1	5	28	3	0	0	1	2	4	0	14
Warwickshire	29	0	0	1	3	21	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	11	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
West Mercia	36	0	2	0	4	32	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	10	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	13
West Midlands	265	1	3	5	45	184	11	3	0	2	19	0	4	51	5	0	19	3	0	6	2	28
West Yorkshire	123	0	0	0	14	117	1	0	0	0	4	1	0	17	0	0	1	3	0	4	0	11
Wiltshire	11	0	0	0	4	6	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Casework Directorate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	4750	7	33	55	411	2372	60	55	30	12	232	36	36	710	46	0	109	26	34	113	30	343
%		0%	1%	1%	9%	50%	1%	1%	1%	0%	5%	1%	1%	15%	1%	0%	2%	0%	1%	2%	1%	7%

Table 4

VICTIM'S DETAILS

DECEMBER 2006


Area	Number of victims	Male	Female	Not stated	Under 18	Age 18-30	Age 31-45	Age 46-60	Age 61 & over	Not stated

Avon & Somerset	90	13	77	0	6	31	38	13	1	1
Bedfordshire	40	4	36	0	7	14	13	3	3	0
Cambridgeshire	45	4	41	0	4	14	12	6	1	8
Cheshire	108	13	95	0	8	33	35	15	2	15
Cleveland	53	2	51	0	1	19	21	8	0	4
Cumbria	33	2	31	0	5	8	11	3	0	6
Derbyshire	72	6	66	0	4	30	22	3	2	11
Devon & Cornwall	49	7	42	0	1	14	25	2	2	5
Dorset	38	5	33	0	3	15	12	2	1	5
Durham	36	7	29	0	3	5	1	1	0	26
Dyfed Powys	30	5	25	0	2	6	8	4	1	9
Essex	77	12	65	0	0	22	21	15	3	16
Gloucestershire	51	5	46	0	3	10	17	3	2	16
Gt Manchester	196	21	175	0	11	52	40	11	2	80
Gwent	49	3	46	0	0	1	0	0	0	48
Hampshire	110	10	100	0	9	40	43	9	2	7
Hertfordshire	60	7	52	1	9	22	18	7	1	3
Humberside	51	7	43	1	4	18	19	4	0	6
Kent	97	6	90	1	9	24	18	5	1	40
Lancashire	159	21	137	1	4	57	48	11	1	38
Leicestershire	78	6	72	0	9	26	26	10	3	4
Lincolnshire	29	5	24	0	4	8	9	3	2	3
Merseyside	101	7	94	0	3	33	31	7	4	23
Metropolitan & City	221	13	208	0	8	53	58	13	4	85
Norfolk	39	4	34	1	3	8	14	4	3	7
Northants	12	1	11	0	2	3	5	2	0	0
Northumbria	154	23	124	7	7	46	37	15	1	48
North Wales	53	1	52	0	3	20	19	5	1	5
North Yorkshire	30	1	29	0	0	10	5	2	0	13
Nottinghamshire	81	4	75	2	4	30	28	8	1	10
South Wales	73	8	62	3	2	26	14	10	1	20
South Yorkshire	123	14	105	4	8	55	34	11	5	10
Staffordshire	97	9	87	1	4	43	34	7	3	6
Suffolk	49	6	42	1	5	23	10	2	1	8
Surrey	5	1	4	0	0	5	0	0	0	0
Sussex	74	4	68	2	1	21	29	7	3	13
Thames Valley	107	10	97	0	7	32	29	11	1	27
Warwickshire	29	1	28	0	0	7	9	2	0	11
West Mercia	40	8	32	0	1	12	10	10	1	6
West Midlands	278	39	235	4	20	107	85	24	6	36
West Yorkshire	129	12	117	0	7	62	41	12	0	7
Wiltshire	11	0	10	1	0	4	1	4	0	2
Casework Directorate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	3,257	337	2,890	30	191	1069	950	294	65	688
%		10%	89%	1%	6%	33%	29%	9%	2%	21%

Table 5

ETHNICITY OF VICTIM

DECEMBER 2006


		W1	W2	W9	M1	M2	M3	M9	A1	A2	A3	A9	B1	B2	B9	O1	O9	NS
AREA	Number of victims	British	Irish	Any other White background	White & Black Caribbean	White & Black African	White & Asian	Any other Mixed background	Indian	Pakistani	Bangladeshi	Any other Asian background	Caribbean	African	Any other Black background	Chinese	Any other Ethnic background	Not stated

Avon & Somerset	90	77	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	12
Bedfordshire	40	30	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	3	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	1
Cambridgeshire	45	30	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	5	1	0	0	0	0	4
Cheshire	108	105	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Cleveland	53	36	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	15
Cumbria	33	27	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5
Derbyshire	72	59	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	12
Devon & Cornwall	49	33	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	15
Dorset	38	23	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	15
Durham	36	29	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7
Dyfed Powys	30	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	16
Essex	77	61	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	11
Gloucestershire	51	35	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	14
Gt Manchester	196	142	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	4	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	44
Gwent	49	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	49
Hampshire	110	94	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	14
Hertfordshire	60	49	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	7
Humberside	51	42	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	9
Kent	97	54	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	41
Lancashire	159	143	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	10
Leicestershire	78	54	2	2	0	0	1	1	4	1	0	3	1	1	2	0	1	5
Lincolnshire	29	22	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7
Merseyside	101	90	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	10
Metropolitan & City	221	84	6	13	1	1	1	1	9	0	0	4	11	7	4	1	2	76
Norfolk	39	36	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Northants	12	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Northumbria	154	123	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	28
North Wales	53	39	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	9
North Yorkshire	30	28	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Nottinghamshire	81	63	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	17
South Wales	73	45	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	2	1	0	0	0	22
South Yorkshire	123	105	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	3	3	0	0	0	9
Staffordshire	97	77	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	3	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	12
Suffolk	49	38	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	10
Surrey	5	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Sussex	74	35	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	37
Thames Valley	107	71	0	4	2	1	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	25
Warwickshire	29	26	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
West Mercia	40	27	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	12
West Midlands	278	192	3	0	0	1	0	1	15	10	1	2	11	3	0	0	3	36
West Yorkshire	129	71	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	6	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	48
Wiltshire	11	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5
Casework Directorate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	3,257	2,327	20	39	7	3	4	4	32	40	2	19	32	22	10	6	9	681
%		71%	1%	1%	0%	0%	0%	0%	1%	1%	0%	1%	1%	1%	0%	0%	0%	21%

Table 6

VICTIM'S RELATIONSHIP TO DEFENDANT

DECEMBER 2005


AREA	Number of victims	Spouse/ Former spouse	Partner/ Former partner	Parent/ Step parent	Grandparent	Child/ Step child	Sibling	Member of extended family (incl in-laws)	Not Stated	Has the victim been identified as a Vulnerable or Intimidated Witness under the Speaking Up for Justice Provisions?
										YES	NO

Avon & Somerset	90	21	51	10	0	5	1	2	0	34	56
Bedfordshire	40	10	16	5	0	7	2	0	0	16	24
Cambridgeshire	45	10	21	7	0	2	5	0	0	22	23
Cheshire	108	14	71	10	1	6	1	5	0	27	81
Cleveland	53	9	33	5	0	0	4	2	0	18	35
Cumbria	33	6	18	1	0	5	1	2	0	13	20
Derbyshire	72	12	51	2	1	4	2	0	0	8	64
Devon & Cornwall	49	6	37	5	0	1	0	0	0	16	33
Dorset	38	7	21	4	0	4	0	2	0	8	30
Durham	36	0	27	3	0	3	0	3	0	18	18
Dyfed Powys	30	6	16	5	0	1	0	2	0	2	28
Essex	77	14	42	7	3	1	6	4	0	34	43
Gloucestershire	51	14	28	4	0	3	1	0	1	8	43
Gt Manchester	196	41	111	19	2	10	6	4	3	63	133
Gwent	49	11	34	3	0	0	1	0	0	3	46
Hampshire	110	20	69	7	0	6	4	4	0	23	87
Hertfordshire	60	12	35	3	0	8	1	1	0	32	28
Humberside	51	5	39	4	0	2	0	1	0	15	36
Kent	97	28	45	8	1	9	4	2	0	41	56
Lancashire	159	31	115	9	0	2	1	1	0	24	135
Leicestershire	78	13	45	9	0	7	1	3	0	44	34
Lincolnshire	29	4	13	3	0	1	5	3	0	8	21
Merseyside	101	14	78	1	0	2	2	4	0	75	26
Metropolitan & City	221	50	141	14	0	4	2	9	1	92	129
Norfolk	39	9	20	1	0	5	0	2	2	21	18
Northants	12	3	7	0	0	1	0	1	0	6	6
Northumbria	154	26	88	16	0	5	6	8	5	53	101
North Wales	53	3	39	6	0	2	1	2	0	32	21
North Yorkshire	30	5	20	3	0	1	1	0	0	17	13
Nottinghamshire	81	18	48	6	0	4	2	3	0	55	26
South Wales	73	14	46	5	0	5	0	3	0	14	59
South Yorkshire	123	25	68	19	0	6	0	3	2	20	103
Staffordshire	97	22	61	6	0	2	3	2	1	19	78
Suffolk	49	11	28	3	0	5	2	0	0	30	19
Surrey	5	2	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	2
Sussex	74	17	47	7	0	0	3	0	0	27	47
Thames Valley	107	24	61	10	0	5	2	5	0	57	50
Warwickshire	29	6	13	6	1	2	0	1	0	7	22
West Mercia	40	7	23	5	0	2	0	3	0	4	36
West Midlands	278	59	146	31	0	23	5	13	1	94	184
West Yorkshire	129	18	91	6	1	3	5	5	0	35	94
Wiltshire	11	5	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	10
Casework Directorate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	3,257	632	1,970	279	10	164	81	105	16	1,139	2,118
%		19%	61%	9%	0%	5%	3%	3%	0%	35%	65%

Table 7

CASE DETAILS—ALL COURTS

DECEMBER 2006


		Case concluded at:				Was the original charge:		Outcome:							If the case was dropped, what were the grounds?
AREA	Number of defendants	Magistrates' Court	Crown Court	Youth Court	Increased	Decreased	Guilty plea	Guilty after trial	Not guilty after trial	Judge directed acquittal	Judge ordered acquittal	No evidence offered	Discontinued	Bound over	Evidential	Public Interest

Avon & Somerset	90	76	11	3	0	3	54	6	3	0	0	15	12	0	20	7
Bedfordshire	38	35	1	2	1	0	14	6	1	0	0	12	1	4	16	1
Cambridgeshire	41	37	3	1	1	4	24	5	0	0	0	8	1	3	8	4
Cheshire	104	92	12	0	0	14	63	10	1	2	0	18	9	1	26	2
Cleveland	51	44	3	4	0	4	28	4	4	0	1	6	8	0	6	9
Cumbria	29	27	2	0	0	4	19	2	1	0	0	2	1	4	3	4
Derbyshire	72	59	12	1	1	6	34	5	5	0	0	17	10	1	26	2
Devon & Cornwall	49	42	4	3	0	3	26	3	4	0	0	7	7	2	10	6
Dorset	34	28	3	3	0	2	24	6	0	0	0	2	2	0	4	0
Durham	34	24	8	2	0	1	23	5	0	0	0	3	2	1	4	2
Dyfed Powys	30	27	0	3	0	3	17	3	2	0	0	5	3	0	2	6
Essex	74	58	16	0	0	4	41	7	5	0	0	1	14	6	14	7
Gloucestershire	48	42	5	1	0	1	26	5	4	0	0	10	2	1	7	6
Gt Manchester	185	154	28	3	1	17	99	15	7	3	0	39	15	7	43	18
Gwent	49	45	4	0	1	3	36	1	2	0	0	7	2	1	9	1
Hampshire	104	86	16	2	0	4	64	13	6	1	0	13	7	0	16	4
Hertfordshire	55	51	2	2	0	3	24	8	6	1	0	8	8	0	11	5
Humberside	50	40	10	0	0	6	39	3	2	0	0	4	2	0	4	2
Kent	91	78	10	3	0	8	52	12	0	0	0	9	12	6	15	12
Lancashire	157	142	13	2	1	8	97	6	8	0	0	28	16	2	37	9
Leicestershire	76	62	11	3	1	7	47	1	3	0	0	14	5	6	19	6
Lincolnshire	30	22	6	2	1	3	17	3	2	0	0	1	6	1	4	4
Merseyside	99	85	14	0	0	8	58	5	1	0	1	22	11	1	29	6
Metropolitan & City	214	170	39	5	3	12	106	27	12	0	0	39	27	3	55	14
Norfolk	34	29	5	0	0	3	23	5	2	0	0	3	1	0	4	0
Northants	10	9	1	0	0	1	7	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	2	0
Northumbria	153	130	20	3	2	9	101	6	3	0	0	23	20	0	37	6
North Wales	51	45	6	0	1	3	35	2	2	1	0	6	5	0	10	1
North Yorkshire	30	29	1	0	1	2	19	1	2	0	0	2	3	3	6	2
Nottinghamshire	78	70	6	2	1	6	39	7	4	1	0	13	6	8	19	8
South Wales	69	60	7	2	1	6	38	6	0	0	1	10	12	2	17	8
South Yorkshire	120	111	8	1	1	7	77	7	4	0	0	17	11	4	25	7
Staffordshire	94	79	12	3	0	7	55	5	2	0	0	15	9	8	28	4
Suffolk	49	37	10	2	0	4	36	2	4	0	0	3	3	1	4	3
Surrey	5	2	3	0	0	1	1	1	1	0	0	2	0	0	1	1
Sussex	71	60	10	1	0	5	39	7	3	0	0	14	7	1	11	11
Thames Valley	105	88	11	6	1	12	56	11	6	0	2	11	19	0	8	24
Warwickshire	29	27	1	1	0	3	18	0	0	0	0	1	10	0	9	2
West Mercia	36	29	7	0	0	3	24	0	3	0	0	6	2	1	8	1
West Midlands	265	225	36	4	6	19	142	23	11	0	1	31	37	20	68	21
West Yorkshire	123	121	0	2	0	11	65	4	3	1	0	35	14	1	47	3
Wiltshire	11	10	1	0	0	3	8	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	1
Casework Directorate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	3,137	2,687	378	72	25	233	1,815	250	129	10	6	483	344	100	693	240
%		86%	12%	2%	1%	7%	58%	8%	4%	0%	0%	16%	11%	3%	74%	26%

Table 8

CASE DETAILS—MAGISTRATES' COURTS

DECEMBER 2006


		Was the original charge		Outcome								If the case was dropped what were the grounds?
AREA	Number of defendants	Increased	Reduced	Guilty plea	Guilty after trial	Not guilty after trial	Judge directed acquittal	Judge ordered acquittal	No evidence offered	Discontinued	Bound over	Evidential	Public Interest

Avon & Somerset	76	0	2	44	6	2	0	0	14	10	0	17	7
Bedfordshire	35	1	0	12	6	1	0	0	11	1	4	15	1
Cambridgeshire	37	0	4	21	5	0	0	0	7	1	3	7	4
Cheshire	92	0	10	55	10	1	0	0	16	9	1	25	1
Cleveland	44	0	3	24	4	2	0	1	5	8	0	6	8
Cumbria	27	0	4	17	2	1	0	0	2	1	4	3	4
Derbyshire	59	1	3	25	4	5	0	0	15	9	1	23	2
Devon & Cornwall	42	0	3	24	3	2	0	0	5	6	2	7	6
Dorset	28	0	1	20	4	0	0	0	2	2	0	4	0
Durham	24	0	0	16	3	0	0	0	2	2	1	3	2
Dyfed Powys	27	0	3	16	3	2	0	0	3	3	0	2	4
Essex	58	0	0	29	6	3	0	0	0	14	6	13	7
Gloucestershire	42	0	1	22	5	4	0	0	8	2	1	7	4
Gt Manchester	154	1	7	81	11	4	3	0	34	14	7	38	17
Gwent	45	1	2	32	1	2	0	0	7	2	1	9	1
Hampshire	86	0	2	54	10	5	1	0	10	6	0	13	3
Hertfordshire	51	0	3	21	7	6	1	0	8	8	0	11	5
Humberside	40	0	4	29	3	2	0	0	4	2	0	4	2
Kent	78	0	6	46	6	0	0	0	8	12	6	14	12
Lancashire	142	1	6	86	6	6	0	0	26	16	2	37	7
Leicestershire	62	1	5	36	1	2	0	0	13	5	5	18	5
Lincolnshire	22	1	2	14	1	2	0	0	1	3	1	4	1
Merseyside	85	0	5	49	4	0	0	0	20	11	1	27	5
Metropolitan & City	170	2	8	78	23	10	0	0	32	24	3	45	14
Norfolk	29	0	2	21	3	1	0	0	3	1	0	4	0
Northants	9	0	1	6	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	2	0
Northumbria	130	1	2	85	3	2	0	0	20	20	0	34	6
North Wales	45	0	3	31	1	2	0	0	6	5	0	10	1
North Yorkshire	29	1	2	19	1	2	0	0	1	3	3	5	2
Nottinghamshire	70	1	6	34	6	4	0	0	12	6	8	19	7
South Wales	60	0	6	30	5	0	0	1	10	12	2	17	8
South Yorkshire	111	0	6	72	6	4	0	0	16	10	3	23	6
Staffordshire	79	0	6	43	4	1	0	0	15	8	8	27	4
Suffolk	37	0	3	28	1	3	0	0	1	3	1	3	2
Surrey	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0
Sussex	60	0	4	33	6	2	0	0	11	7	1	8	11
Thames Valley	88	0	11	46	10	5	0	0	8	19	0	7	20
Warwickshire	27	0	3	17	0	0	0	0	0	10	0	8	2
West Mercia	29	0	3	19	0	2	0	0	5	2	1	7	1
West Midlands	225	4	16	120	16	9	0	0	28	36	16	62	18
West Yorkshire	121	0	11	63	4	3	1	0	35	14	1	47	3
Wiltshire	10	0	2	7	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	1
Casework Directorate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	2687	16	171	1525	203	102	6	2	426	329	94	637	214
%		1%	6%	57%	8%	4%	0%	0%	16%	12%	3%	75%	25%

Table 9

CASE DETAILS—YOUTH COURT

DECEMBER 2006


		Was the original charge		Outcome								If the case was dropped what were the grounds?
AREA	Number of defendants	Increased	Reduced	Guilty plea	Guilty after trial	Not guilty after trial	Judge directed acquittal	Judge ordered acquittal	No evidence offered	Discontinued	Bound over	Evidential	Public Interest

Avon & Somerset	3	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bedfordshire	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cambridgeshire	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cheshire	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cleveland	4	0	0	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cumbria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Derbyshire	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Devon & Cornwall	3	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Dorset	3	0	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Durham	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0
Dyfed Powys	3	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2
Essex	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Gloucestershire	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Gt Manchester	3	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0
Gwent	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hampshire	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hertfordshire	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Humberside	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kent	3	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0
Lancashire	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Leicestershire	3	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Lincolnshire	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	2
Merseyside	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Metropolitan & City	5	0	0	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Norfolk	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Northants	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Northumbria	3	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0
North Wales	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
North Yorkshire	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nottinghamshire	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
South Wales	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
South Yorkshire	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Staffordshire	3	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Suffolk	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Surrey	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sussex	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Thames Valley	6	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2
Warwickshire	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0
West Mercia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
West Midlands	4	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
West Yorkshire	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wiltshire	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Casework Directorate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	72	0	2	54	1	3	0	0	10	4	0	7	7
%		0%	3%	75%	1%	4%	0%	0%	14%	6%	0%	50%	50%

Table 10

CASE DETAILS—CROWN COURT

DECEMBER 2006


		Was the original charge		Outcome								If the case was dropped what were the grounds?

AREA	Number of defendants	Increased	Reduced	Guilty plea	Guilty after trial	Not guilty after trial	Judge directed acquittal	Judge ordered acquittal	No evidence offered	Discontinued	Bound over	Evidential	Public Interest
Avon & Somerset	11	0	1	7	0	1	0	0	1	2	0	3	0
Bedfordshire	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0
Cambridgeshire	3	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0
Cheshire	12	0	4	8	0	0	2	0	2	0	0	1	1
Cleveland	3	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Cumbria	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Derbyshire	12	0	3	9	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	2	0
Devon & Cornwall	4	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	2	0
Dorset	3	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Durham	8	0	1	6	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dyfed Powys	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Essex	16	0	4	12	1	2	0	0	1	0	0	1	0
Gloucestershire	5	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Gt Manchester	28	0	10	16	4	3	0	0	4	1	0	4	1
Gwent	4	0	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hampshire	16	0	2	8	3	1	0	0	3	1	0	3	1
Hertfordshire	2	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Humberside	10	0	2	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kent	10	0	2	4	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Lancashire	13	0	2	9	0	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	2
Leicestershire	11	0	2	8	0	1	0	0	1	0	1	1	1
Lincolnshire	6	0	1	3	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
Merseyside	14	0	3	9	1	1	0	1	2	0	0	2	1
Metropolitan & City	39	1	4	24	4	1	0	0	7	3	0	10	0
Norfolk	5	0	1	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Northants	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Northumbria	20	1	7	14	3	1	0	0	2	0	0	2	0
North Wales	6	1	0	4	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
North Yorkshire	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0
Nottinghamshire	6	0	0	3	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	1
South Wales	7	1	0	6	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
South Yorkshire	8	1	1	4	1	0	0	0	1	1	1	2	1
Staffordshire	12	0	1	9	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Suffolk	10	0	1	6	1	1	0	0	2	0	0	1	1
Surrey	3	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Sussex	10	0	0	5	1	1	0	0	3	0	0	3	0
Thames Valley	11	1	1	6	1	1	0	2	1	0	0	1	2
Warwickshire	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
West Mercia	7	0	0	5	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0
West Midlands	36	2	3	18	7	2	0	1	3	1	4	6	3
West Yorkshire	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wiltshire	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Casework Directorate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	378	9	60	236	46	24	4	4	47	11	6	49	19
%		2%	16%	62%	12%	6%	1%	1%	13%	3%	2%	72%	28%

Table 11

VICTIM'S RETRACTION

DECEMBER 2006


		Did the victim retract?		When did the victim retract?					Did the police obtain a withdrawal statement in compliance with the points in the Home Office Circular 19/2000?		Was the decision to continue in consultation with an experienced prosecutor and the police?		Did the case continue after retraction?
AREA	Number of victims	Yes	No	Before plea	Before trial	At trial	Not stated	Yes	No	N/A	Yes	No	Yes	No

Avon & Somerset	90	22	68	9	12	1	0	17	5	0	22	0	8	14
Bedfordshire	40	14	26	2	11	1	0	13	1	0	14	0	9	4
Cambridgeshire	45	8	37	0	8	0	0	6	2	0	8	0	5	1
Cheshire	108	32	76	7	25	0	0	21	11	0	31	1	18	12
Cleveland	53	14	39	5	9	0	0	13	1	0	14	0	8	6
Cumbria	33	7	26	5	2	0	0	7	0	0	7	0	0	7
Derbyshire	72	24	48	12	12	0	0	22	2	0	24	0	16	8
Devon & Cornwall	49	15	34	5	9	1	0	13	2	0	15	0	2	13
Dorset	38	3	35	3	0	0	0	2	0	1	3	0	0	3
Durham	36	6	30	0	5	1	0	5	0	1	6	0	4	2
Dyfed Powys	30	4	26	2	2	0	0	3	1	0	4	0	1	3
Essex	77	23	54	6	14	3	0	18	5	0	23	0	9	13
Gloucestershire	51	16	35	4	9	3	0	12	2	2	14	2	7	9
Gt Manchester	196	66	130	14	44	8	0	48	10	8	66	0	40	24
Gwent	49	8	41	3	5	0	0	7	0	1	8	0	1	7
Hampshire	110	21	89	9	12	0	0	17	2	2	21	0	15	5
Hertfordshire	60	19	41	5	14	0	0	16	3	0	19	0	11	6
Humberside	51	8	43	2	6	0	0	2	5	1	8	0	7	0
Kent	97	29	68	11	18	0	0	22	6	1	28	1	14	14
Lancashire	159	40	119	14	23	3	0	30	9	1	39	1	29	10
Leicestershire	78	25	53	3	21	1	0	20	4	1	24	1	11	13
Lincolnshire	29	3	26	1	1	1	0	1	0	2	2	1	1	2
Merseyside	101	32	69	10	17	5	0	22	6	4	32	0	15	16
Metropolitan & City	221	69	152	13	48	7	1	49	14	6	67	2	34	34
Norfolk	39	2	37	0	2	0	0	2	0	0	2	0	0	2
Northants	12	1	11	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1
Northumbria	154	28	126	13	14	1	0	22	2	4	28	0	6	22
North Wales	53	14	39	5	8	1	0	6	7	1	14	0	7	7
North Yorkshire	30	11	19	7	2	2	0	6	2	3	11	0	5	6
Nottinghamshire	81	29	52	5	23	1	0	19	8	2	26	3	11	17
South Wales	73	25	48	4	17	4	0	16	6	3	21	4	7	18
South Yorkshire	123	30	93	7	17	6	0	16	8	6	26	4	10	19
Staffordshire	97	33	64	16	17	0	0	30	3	0	31	2	23	10
Suffolk	49	11	38	9	2	0	0	10	0	1	10	1	7	4
Surrey	5	1	4	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	1
Sussex	74	22	52	9	12	1	0	10	11	1	17	5	10	10
Thames Valley	107	37	70	13	22	2	0	29	6	2	37	0	13	24
Warwickshire	29	12	17	10	2	0	0	10	2	0	10	2	5	6
West Mercia	40	8	32	2	6	0	0	6	0	2	8	0	4	3
West Midlands	278	73	205	17	52	4	0	47	13	13	71	2	19	50
West Yorkshire	129	50	79	8	39	3	0	40	5	5	45	5	28	21
Wiltshire	11	1	10	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	0
Casework Directorate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	3,257	896	2,361	270	564	61	1	656	166	74	858	38	421	447
%		28%	72%	30%	63%	7%	0%	73%	19%	8%	96%	4%	49%	51%

Table 12

IF CASE CONTINUED AFTER RETRACTION

DECEMBER 2006


						S.23 CJA 1988 application made and . . .		S.114/116 CJA 2003 application made and . . .
AREA	Number of continuations after retraction	Victim gave evidence	Defendant pleaded guilty	Witness summons issued	Arrest warrant issued	granted	refused	granted	refused	Other evidence sufficed	None of these apply

Avon & Somerset	8	0	5	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bedfordshire	9	1	3	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Cambridgeshire	5	1	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cheshire	18	1	14	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Cleveland	8	3	2	6	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Cumbria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Derbyshire	16	0	8	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Devon & Cornwall	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dorset	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Durham	4	0	1	3	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Dyfed Powys	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Essex	9	1	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Gloucestershire	7	1	4	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Gt Manchester	40	3	9	30	2	1	0	0	0	2	4
Gwent	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hampshire	15	2	6	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	4
Hertfordshire	11	2	5	4	0	0	0	0	0	2	1
Humberside	7	1	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kent	14	0	9	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Lancashire	29	4	9	10	0	0	0	0	0	2	4
Leicestershire	11	0	7	5	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Lincolnshire	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Merseyside	15	1	7	3	0	0	0	0	0	2	2
Metropolitan & City	34	4	12	16	0	0	0	0	1	3	5
Norfolk	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Northants	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Northumbria	6	1	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
North Wales	7	0	3	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
North Yorkshire	5	1	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Nottinghamshire	11	1	6	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	2
South Wales	7	0	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
South Yorkshire	10	1	7	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Staffordshire	23	3	8	11	0	0	0	0	0	1	5
Suffolk	7	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Surrey	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sussex	10	1	4	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
Thames Valley	13	2	8	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Warwickshire	5	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
West Mercia	4	0	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
West Midlands	19	2	7	7	0	0	0	0	0	1	5
West Yorkshire	28	1	11	14	0	0	0	0	0	1	5
Wiltshire	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Casework Directorate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	421	39	194	172	7	1	0	2	2	27	48
%		8%	40%	35%	1%	0%	0%	0%	0%	6%	10%

The total of 421 represents the number of defendants whose case continued after retraction. More than one category may apply to a single defendant case.

Table 13

VICTIM'S RETRACTION—WHICH FACTORS INFLUENCED THE DECISION TO CONTINUE THE CASE?

DECEMBER 2006


Area	Number of continuations after retraction	Seriousness of offence	Victim's serious injuries	Use of weapon	Further threats made	Planned attack	Effect on children	Likely repetition	Continuing threat	Effect on relationship	History of DV	Defendant's pre-cons	Not Applicable

Avon & Somerset	8	5	1	0	0	1	2	5	4	2	4	0	1
Bedfordshire	9	1	0	0	0	0	3	1	0	0	4	1	4
Cambridgeshire	5	2	0	0	0	0	3	3	0	0	3	2	0
Cheshire	18	3	1	1	3	0	6	12	2	1	11	7	2
Cleveland	8	1	1	0	0	0	0	5	0	0	4	0	1
Cumbria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Derbyshire	16	3	1	0	0	0	6	13	7	0	14	6	2
Devon & Cornwall	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
Dorset	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Durham	4	2	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	0
Dyfed Powys	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0
Essex	9	3	1	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	3	2	1
Gloucestershire	7	3	1	0	1	0	1	4	1	1	4	2	2
Greater Manchester	40	20	1	3	1	0	13	25	5	1	19	10	5
Gwent	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hampshire	15	9	0	0	0	0	3	3	0	1	4	1	1
Hertfordshire	11	2	0	0	0	0	2	4	3	0	3	2	4
Humberside	7	2	2	1	1	0	4	6	4	0	3	3	0
Kent	14	6	0	1	0	0	6	2	3	2	7	2	4
Lancashire	29	2	2	1	1	0	4	12	0	2	20	4	3
Leicestershire	11	7	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	5	0	0
Lincolnshire	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0
Merseyside	15	6	2	3	2	0	3	9	8	0	6	2	0
Metropolitan & City	34	9	4	2	1	0	5	18	3	1	17	9	2
Norfolk	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Northants	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Northumbria	6	4	2	2	0	0	1	2	1	0	2	1	0
North Wales	7	1	0	1	0	0	0	2	2	0	2	1	0
North Yorkshire	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	3	3	0
Nottinghamshire	11	4	0	0	0	0	3	2	2	2	1	0	4
South Wales	7	2	0	0	0	1	2	1	0	0	2	0	3
South Yorkshire	10	2	0	1	0	0	1	2	2	0	2	0	3
Staffordshire	23	6	1	3	0	0	4	10	0	0	12	4	2
Suffolk	7	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	1	0	1	0	4
Surrey	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sussex	10	6	0	1	0	0	4	5	4	1	6	4	2
Thames Valley	13	2	0	0	1	0	4	7	5	0	8	2	2
Warwickshire	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	1	2
West Mercia	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	3
West Midlands	19	3	2	3	0	0	0	11	1	0	7	6	5
West Yorkshire	28	7	1	4	0	0	8	9	2	4	11	4	1
Wiltshire	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Casework Directorate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	421	128	24	27	11	3	93	187	62	18	192	82	64
%		14%	3%	3%	1%	0%	10%	21%	7%	2%	22%	9%	7%

The total of 421 represents the number of defendants whose case continued after retraction. More than one factor may apply to a single defendant case.

Table 14

WHICH OF THESE FACTORS INFLUENCED THE DECISION TO DROP THE CASE?

DECEMBER 2006


		Which of these factors influenced the decision to drop the case?											Did the prosecution offer a bind over?
Area	Number of cases dropped after retraction	Minor nature of offence	Victim's minor injuries	No weapons used	Remorse shown	Unplanned attack	Minor effect on children/no children	Repetition unlikely	Improved state of relationship	No history of DV	No previous convictions	Not applicable	Yes	No	Not applicable

Avon & Somerset	14	2	3	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	10	1	11	2
Bedfordshire	4	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	3	1	0	1	2	0	2
Cambridgeshire	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Cheshire	12	4	3	0	0	0	1	2	4	2	3	5	1	10	1
Cleveland	6	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	2	0	6	0
Cumbria	7	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	4	3	3	1
Derbyshire	8	4	2	0	1	0	2	3	0	4	0	3	1	7	0
Devon & Cornwall	13	2	0	1	3	0	1	1	2	1	1	9	2	11	0
Dorset	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	3	0
Durham	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	1
Dyfed Powys	3	2	3	1	1	0	1	3	3	2	2	0	0	3	0
Essex	13	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	7	0	0	5	2	10	1
Gloucestershire	9	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	2	3	0	4	1	8	0
Gt Manchester	24	6	7	3	0	4	0	3	8	4	1	10	1	18	5
Gwent	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	5	1	6	0
Hampshire	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	1	2	0	3	2
Hertfordshire	6	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	2	0	5	1
Humberside	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kent	14	7	6	6	0	2	5	5	3	6	2	2	1	11	2
Lancashire	10	1	2	2	0	0	0	3	1	1	0	5	0	9	1
Leicestershire	13	2	2	0	0	1	0	2	2	0	0	8	3	6	4
Lincolnshire	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0
Merseyside	16	2	2	0	0	0	0	7	1	2	0	7	0	7	9
Metropolitan & City	34	8	6	3	0	3	1	6	5	7	4	17	3	21	10
Norfolk	2	2	2	2	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	0
Northants	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
Northumbria	22	6	3	4	0	1	2	4	6	5	1	12	0	15	7
North Wales	7	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	5	0	7	0
North Yorkshire	6	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	2	0	0	2	3	3	0
Nottinghamshire	17	7	3	1	2	1	0	2	9	2	1	6	2	9	6
South Wales	18	3	6	5	1	1	0	3	3	1	1	7	2	10	6
South Yorkshire	19	3	1	0	0	0	0	1	3	2	2	12	3	14	2
Staffordshire	10	2	3	1	1	0	0	3	2	2	4	1	2	8	0
Suffolk	4	2	1	0	0	0	1	2	1	1	0	3	1	2	1
Surrey	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Sussex	10	2	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	2	2	5	0	10	0
Thames Valley	24	2	3	2	0	0	0	8	4	5	1	11	0	20	4
Warwickshire	6	1	3	2	0	1	0	0	4	1	1	1	0	5	1
West Mercia	3	1	0	1	3	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	3	0
West Midlands	50	3	4	4	2	4	2	8	8	5	4	29	4	27	19
West Yorkshire	21	0	2	0	1	0	0	1	5	1	0	14	1	15	5
Wiltshire	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Casework Directorate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	447	83	72	41	18	22	19	75	101	66	34	217	42	311	94
%		11%	10%	5%	2%	3%	3%	10%	13%	9%	5%	29%	9%	70%	21%

The total of 447 represents the number of defendants whose case was dropped after retraction. More than one factor may apply to a single defendant case.

Table 15

VICTIM SUPPORT

DECEMBER 2006


		Did the victim make a victim's personal statement?			Did the victim have voluntary sector support?
Area	Number of victims	Yes	No	Not applicable	Yes	No	Not Known	Not applicable

Avon & Somerset	90	5	85	0	4	4	82	0
Bedfordshire	40	22	17	1	0	19	21	0
Cambridgeshire	45	17	25	3	2	4	33	6
Cheshire	108	11	96	1	14	21	72	1
Cleveland	53	18	35	0	0	8	45	0
Cumbria	33	3	30	0	0	0	29	4
Derbyshire	72	36	36	0	4	14	54	0
Devon & Cornwall	49	17	32	0	0	14	22	13
Dorset	38	6	29	3	0	2	36	0
Durham	36	29	7	0	2	1	32	1
Dyfed Powys	30	12	17	1	6	2	22	0
Essex	77	6	68	3	2	5	59	11
Gloucestershire	51	18	33	0	5	4	34	8
Gt Manchester	196	89	96	11	12	12	170	2
Gwent	49	0	49	0	11	0	38	0
Hampshire	110	24	73	13	2	1	97	10
Hertfordshire	60	10	42	8	2	0	54	4
Humberside	51	31	8	12	1	0	46	4
Kent	97	17	71	9	1	6	85	5
Lancashire	159	2	154	3	3	6	147	3
Leicestershire	78	28	48	2	3	1	73	1
Lincolnshire	29	8	19	2	0	0	28	1
Merseyside	101	4	96	1	9	3	72	17
Metropolitan & City	221	51	123	47	20	18	162	21
Norfolk	39	11	24	4	4	12	22	1
Northants	12	1	10	1	5	5	1	1
Northumbria	154	70	52	32	16	8	86	44
North Wales	53	7	46	0	5	8	40	0
North Yorkshire	30	7	23	0	2	6	22	0
Nottinghamshire	81	11	64	6	8	10	58	5
South Wales	73	17	51	5	23	2	48	0
South Yorkshire	123	83	33	7	3	0	118	2
Staffordshire	97	36	60	1	13	13	70	1
Suffolk	49	8	37	4	4	4	38	3
Surrey	5	3	2	0	0	0	5	0
Sussex	74	31	41	2	3	12	59	0
Thames Valley	107	43	61	3	9	14	77	7
Warwickshire	29	11	17	1	10	2	17	0
West Mercia	40	4	35	1	3	9	27	1
West Midlands	278	57	198	23	29	17	222	10
West Yorkshire	129	7	120	2	2	4	120	3
Wiltshire	11	1	10	0	1	1	9	0
Casework Directorate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	3,257	872	2,173	212	243	272	2,552	190
%		27%	67%	6%	8%	8%	78%	6%

Table 16

INSTRUMENTAL ELEMENTS

DECEMBER 2006


		If prosecution was successful, especially after a retraction or threatened retraction, were any of the following, in your view, instrumental in bringing the case to a successful conclusion:
Area	Number of victims	Support of the victim by Victim Support/ Witness Service	Support of the victim by specialist DV voluntary sector	Involvement of specially trained police officers/police handling of victim	Use of special measures at court	Contact with CPS	Other

Avon & Somerset	90	18	2	19	1	0	5
Bedfordshire	40	0	0	1	0	2	5
Cambridgeshire	45	1	0	1	1	2	2
Cheshire	108	5	10	12	14	6	3
Cleveland	53	0	0	0	0	0	1
Cumbria	33	0	0	14	0	0	0
Derbyshire	72	1	0	7	1	1	0
Devon & Cornwall	49	0	0	0	0	0	1
Dorset	38	7	0	8	0	0	7
Durham	36	2	0	1	0	0	1
Dyfed Powys	30	2	0	2	0	2	1
Essex	77	0	0	1	0	0	5
Gloucestershire	51	4	1	1	2	6	0
Gt Manchester	196	10	4	21	5	12	6
Gwent	49	0	0	0	0	0	1
Hampshire	110	1	0	4	0	1	1
Hertfordshire	60	0	0	3	1	0	0
Humberside	51	5	0	10	1	3	5
Kent	97	3	0	8	1	5	6
Lancashire	159	0	1	6	0	2	3
Leicestershire	78	0	0	0	1	1	1
Lincolnshire	29	1	0	3	0	1	0
Merseyside	101	13	2	21	8	14	3
Metropolitan & City	221	18	2	11	2	9	4
Norfolk	39	2	1	2	0	0	1
Northants	12	1	0	0	0	0	1
Northumbria	154	5	0	1	3	3	4
North Wales	53	5	0	1	0	0	12
North Yorkshire	30	0	0	1	0	2	2
Nottinghamshire	81	4	2	3	3	4	13
South Wales	73	9	6	1	2	1	4
South Yorkshire	123	1	0	4	1	0	8
Staffordshire	97	5	0	3	1	1	9
Suffolk	49	1	0	0	1	0	0
Surrey	5	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sussex	74	1	0	1	2	0	6
Thames Valley	107	15	1	24	10	36	13
Warwickshire	29	1	0	1	0	0	1
West Mercia	40	0	1	1	0	0	3
West Midlands	278	39	12	40	8	37	9
West Yorkshire	129	2	2	9	4	2	5
Wiltshire	11	1	0	0	1	1	1
Casework Directorate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	3257	183	47	246	74	154	153
%		21%	5%	29%	9%	18%	18%

Table 17

EXCLUDED FORMS

DECEMBER 2006


AREA	Total Forms Received	Total Excluded Forms	% of Total Return

Avon & Somerset	91	0	0%
Bedfordshire	38	0	0%
Cambridgeshire	40	0	0%
Cheshire	107	3	3%
Cleveland	51	0	0%
Cumbria	29	0	0%
Derbyshire	73	1	1%
Devon & Cornwall	50	1	2%
Dorset	34	0	0%
Durham	37	3	8%
Dyfed Powys	30	0	0%
Essex	77	3	4%
Gloucestershire	50	2	4%
Gt Manchester	207	22	11%
Gwent	49	0	0%
Hampshire	108	4	4%
Hertfordshire	63	8	13%
Humberside	53	3	6%
Kent	91	0	0%
Lancashire	170	13	8%
Leicestershire	83	7	8%
Lincolnshire	32	2	6%
Merseyside	100	1	1%
Metropolitan & City	309	95	31%
Norfolk	38	4	11%
Northants	10	0	0%
Northumbria	153	0	0%
North Wales	54	3	6%
North Yorkshire	35	5	14%
Nottinghamshire	92	14	15%
South Wales	78	9	12%
South Yorkshire	128	8	6%
Staffordshire	99	5	5%
Suffolk	57	8	14%
Surrey	15	10	67%
Sussex	73	2	3%
Thames Valley	111	8	7%
Warwickshire	28	0	0%
West Mercia	39	3	8%
West Midlands	314	53	17%
West Yorkshire	159	36	23%
Wiltshire	32	21	66%
Casework Directorate	0	0	0%
Total	3,487	357
%			10%

Excluded forms consist of:
— Forms returned with a court finalisation outside Dec 06 — Appeals or Pre-Charge Decisions — Duplicates — Queries not resolved by 27 Apr 07
Note that Total Forms Received minus Exclusions does not equal No. of Defendants because some multi-defendant cases were returned on the same form.

Table 18

COMPARISON OF MIS DATA AND DV SNAPSHOT DATA

DEC-06


AREA	December 2006 MIS Data	December 2006 DV Snapshot Data	Variance

Avon & Somerset	71	90	-27%
Bedfordshire	32	38	-19%
Cambridgeshire	38	41	-8%
Cheshire	114	104	9%
Cleveland	52	51	2%
Cumbria	31	29	6%
Derbyshire	80	72	10%
Devon and Cornwall	80	49	39%
Dorset	52	34	35%
Durham	37	34	8%
Dyfed Powys	36	30	17%
Essex	79	74	6%
Gloucestershire	56	48	14%
Greater Manchester	217	185	15%
Gwent	54	49	9%
Hampshire	132	104	21%
Hertfordshire	62	55	11%
Humberside	54	50	7%
Kent	92	91	1%
Lancashire	185	157	15%
Leicestershire	70	76	-9%
Lincolnshire	39	30	23%
Merseyside	139	99	29%
Metropolitan & City	451	214	53%
Norfolk	46	34	26%
Northants	31	10	68%
Northumbria	152	153	-1%
North Wales	62	51	18%
North Yorkshire	27	30	-11%
Nottinghamshire	95	78	18%
South Wales	83	69	17%
South Yorkshire	129	120	7%
Staffordshire	86	94	-9%
Suffolk	57	49	14%
Surrey	24	5	79%
Sussex	84	71	15%
Thames Valley	124	105	15%
Warwickshire	30	29	3%
West Mercia	45	36	20%
West Midlands	286	265	7%
West Yorkshire	173	123	29%
Wiltshire	50	11	78%
Total	3,837	3137	18%

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 In its oral evidence session on 22 January 2008, the Home Affairs Committee requested additional evidence from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on the following subjects:

— the current situation in the Crown Court and youth courts in relation to domestic violence;

— barriers to the further roll-out of specialist domestic violence courts (SDVCs) and options for mainstreaming the courts;

— data on how many victims and perpetrators of domestic violence are under 18 years old;

— data on the ethnicity of defendants in domestic violence cases; and

— data on the number of domestic violence prosecutions that proceed despite the victim retracting his or her statement (taken from the December 2006 CPS snapshot).

1.2 This information is detailed below.

2. THE CURRENT SITUATION IN THE CROWN COURT AND YOUTH COURTS

2.1 Magistrates' courts deal with 86% of domestic violence cases (CPS Domestic Violence Snapshot, December 2006). In December 2006, magistrates' courts had a conviction rate of 64%, compared with 76% and 75% in the youth courts and the Crown Court respectively. The high proportion of cases dealt with in the magistrates' courts and the lower rate of successful outcomes have meant that the SDVC Programme has focused to date on magistrates' courts.

2.2 All prosecutors, caseworkers and designated caseworkers in the CPS are currently being trained on how to prosecute domestic violence cases. We expect all Area-based legal staff to be trained by April 2008. The CPS continues to enhance its ability to provide its own, in-house, high quality advocacy in all courts. This means that CPS Higher Court Advocates (HCAs) who have been trained in domestic violence are increasingly prosecuting domestic violence cases in the Crown Court.

2.3 The CPS recognises that some of the most serious cases of domestic violence are dealt with in the Crown Court. CPS training material therefore makes clear that where independent counsel or agents are used, they should be given instructions based on the CPS Policy and Guidance for Prosecuting Cases of Domestic Violence. This guidance should cover issues such as:

— the safety of the victim and any children;

— witness' willingness to proceed;

— whether or not the case can/should proceed without the witness;

— whether or not a witness summons should be issued;

— if the witness fails to attend, the circumstances in which a witness warrant should be applied for;

— acceptability of pleas; and

— any other issues relevant to the case.

2.4 CPS managers are instructed to regularly monitor the performance of counsel, agents and HCAs in order to ensure that they are familiar with the CPS Policy and Guidance on domestic violence.

2.5 A recent review of the first 23 SDVCs found that some courts had very good links with their local Crown Court.[299] For example, one SDVC had introduced local protocols to avoid delays that were adopted by local criminal justice agencies. These were so successful that they subsequently linked them with the Crown Court.

2.6 The National SDVC Steering Group is currently updating the National Resource Manual for specialist courts and selecting further courts for 2008-09. Following this process, the Steering Group aims to look at options for mainstreaming the SDVCs (including plans for future Independent Domestic Violence Advisers—IDVAs—and Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences—MARACs). This process, explained further below, will need to include the consideration of longer term plans for the small proportion of domestic violence cases that go through the Crown Court and youth courts.

3. BARRIERS TO FURTHER ROLL-OUT OF SDVCS AND OPTIONS FOR MAINSTREAMING

3.1 There are currently 64 SDVC systems in 30 CPS Areas, and approximately 60 additional applications that are being considered by the National Steering Group. If these are successful, SDVCs would exist in the overwhelming majority of CPS Areas. There is widespread support across the country for the development of further SDVCs, IDVAs and MARACs.

3.2 The decision to operate an SDVC system is primarily a local one, based on workload, resources and partnership commitment. The centre cannot mandate that areas do so. The National Steering Group has, however, publicised the findings of evaluations to disseminate the benefits that can be gained from this approach.

3.3 There is a three year funding programme for IDVAs and MARACs, which will aim to maintain approximately 100 courts through 2009-10. Grants have been allocated to 111 different services for 2007-08, ranging from £20,000 to £80,000. This funding supports 64 existing IDVA services within SDVC systems in 30 Areas and 49 new or existing IDVA services in Areas that have made applications for new SDVCs. The issue of funding for IDVAs and MARACs beyond the three year programme needs further consideration and represents a potential barrier to the roll-out of SDVCs.

3.4 The SDVC Programme is currently overseen by a National Steering Group from the Home Office, CPS and Her Majesty's Courts Service. This is only part of the work of four officials. One of the potential barriers to rolling out the Programme is the limited national capacity to oversee further expansion of the accredited Programme.

3.5 The National SDVC Steering Group is in the very early stages of looking at options to mainstream specialist courts. The limited resources of the National Steering Group mean that the further development, selection and implementation of SDVCs may need to be considered at a local level.

3.6 A lack of formalised accreditation and support for implementation could potentially result in standards of performance declining. However, the current revision of the National Resource Manual for SDVCs should assist Areas in developing specialist courts to a high standard.

3.7 The National Steering Group is also hoping to explore the possibility of introducing a more standardised system at a local level to select, implement and develop SDVCs. This may involve working with local partnerships, including Local Criminal Justice Boards and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships. However, given that this work is in its infancy, we are not in a position to provide further detail.

4. VICTIMS AND PERPETRATORS UNDER 18

4.1 The CPS flags all cases of domestic violence. Where a victim is under 18, "child abuse" should also be flagged. There is no similar flag for young offenders. Instead, the data is collected from an "object" under the defendant class called "offender type". There are five offender types: "not specified" (taken de facto as adult), "young offender" (YO—youth), "prolific priority offender" (PPO—adults), "persistent young offender" (PYO—youth) and "prolific priority persistent young offender" (PPPYO—youth). Youth offenders are therefore identified as the sum of YO, PYO and PPPYO.

4.2 The data below relies upon operators applying the correct flags and identifying the correct defendant type. It therefore provides an indication only and should be treated with caution.

4.3 The data on under 18s for Quarters 1 and 2 (April-September) 2007-08 reported to the Committee only covered the numbers convicted. For further clarification, the total number of cases prosecuted is provided below.

Domestic Violence Defendant Prosecutions by Offender & Victim Type April-September 2007


	Volume	%

Adult Offender—Adult Victim	29,493	93.1%
Adult Offender—Youth Victim	747	2.4%
Youth Offender—Adult Victim	1,414	4.5%
Youth Offender—Youth Victim	24	0.1%
Total	31,678

Data source: MIS PI universe

4.4 It should be noted that this data only covers cases that resulted in a prosecution. It does not include cases that do not get to the point of charge or cases where a decision is made not to charge.

4.5 The Committee requested an explanation for why in Quarters 1 and 2 there seemed to be a much higher proportion of youth to adult convictions than adult to youth convictions. Quarter 1 of 2007-08 was the first time data has been broken down in this way, and the CPS has not yet had an opportunity to probe or investigate the data. We are, at this point, unable to provide a definitive explanation. However, one possible explanation may be that cases involving adults to youths are sometimes flagged as child abuse but not as domestic violence (despite guidance to the contrary).

4.6 Another possible explanation may be that victims under 18 may be more likely to retract their statements and refuse to proceed with the prosecution. In cases where the only evidence the CPS can rely upon is the victim's statement, this may jeopardise the prosecution (although it may be appropriate to proceed by way of a summons). Another possible explanation is that adults may be more likely to report cases of domestic violence than children. It should be noted however, that these are merely possible explanations; they not based on data analysis or research.

5. DATA ON DEFENDANT ETHNICITY IN DV CASES

5.1 The data below shows the number of domestic violence cases prosecuted in Quarters 1 and 2 of 2007-08, broken down by the defendant's ethnicity. It does not include cases where no prosecution was brought.

Domestic Violence Defendant Prosecutions by Ethnicity April-September 2007


	Volume	%

Asian	1,383	4.4%
Black	1,709	5.4%
Mixed	534	1.7%
Chinese	29	0.1%
White	25,791	81.4%
Not Provided or Stated	2,053	6.5%
Any Other Ethnic Group	179	0.6%
Total	31,678

Data source: MIS PI universe

6. PROSECUTIONS PROCEEDING DESPITE VICTIM RETRACTION

6.1 From 2002-06, the CPS conducted an annual "snapshot" counting and analysing the number of cases of domestic violence finalised in the month of December. The December 2006 snapshot (Annex A) showed that the proportion of victims who retracted their statement fell from 37% in 2002 to 28% in 2006. Of those retracting, 30% did so before plea (39% in 2005), and 63% before trial (53% in 2005). In 73% of retractions the police obtained a formal withdrawal statement, compared to 66% in 2005.

6.2 896 victims in 868 cases retracted in 2006, compared with 951 victims in 2005. In 421 (49%) of the 868 cases, the CPS decided to continue with the prosecution after retraction. This compared with 341 (36%) in 2005, 321 (40%) in 2004, 27% of cases in 2003 and 19% of cases in 2002. The CPS will continue to prosecute cases where the victim retracts, so long as there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to do so. The safety of the victim, children, or any other potentially vulnerable person will be a prime consideration in reaching a decision.

6.3 In 40% of cases continuing after retraction, the defendant pleaded guilty; compared with 50% in 2005 and 24% in 2004. 8% of victims gave evidence after retraction, compared with 12% in 2005 and 7% in 2004. In 6% of cases other evidence sufficed (the proportion was similar in 2005).

6.4 A witness summons was issued in 172 cases that continued after retraction (35%) compared with 91 (24%) of cases in 2005 and 140 (27%) of cases in 2004. The revised DV policy and guidance for prosecutors (issued in February 2005) provides a clear framework for how to assess the safety of victims and their children and the kinds of factors that should be taken into account when considering a witness summons. The guidance places an emphasis on the use of a summons in cases where this is essential to ensure that the prosecution can continue, in order to protect the victim and their children from any further violence.

6.5 Enhanced electronic monitoring was introduced in April 2007 to gather information on victim retractions and what happens to a case after a victim retracts. The first set of data from this flag will be collated in summer 2008.

March 2008

298 The Women's National Commission and Amnesty UK coordinate the End Violence Against Women campaign. Back

299 The findings of the SDVC Review 2007-08, "Justice with Safety", have been reported to the Inter-Ministerial Group on Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence. The report has not yet been published. Back



© Parliamentary copyright 2008	Prepared 13 June 2008