Table A2: The 10 most common offences proceeded against at magistrates courts, by result at all courts, sex and age-group for England and Wales, 2007( 1, 2, 3)
Number of persons
Males
All persons
Aged 10-17
Aged 18 and over
No
Offence description
Total proceedings
Total proceedings
Total findings of guilt
Fined
Immediate custody
Total proceedings
Total findings of guilt
Fined
Immediate custody
19101
1
Television licence evasion.
135,508
10
6
6
0
46,427
40,033
39,715
0
17000
2
Motor vehicle licences; failure to pay appropriate duty.
86,753
60
24
24
0
69,882
61,414
60,611
1
10501
3
Common assault and battery.
75,871
10,055
7,899
88
279
54,554
36,305
4,028
5,363
4600
4
Stealing from shops and stalls.
67,641
6,186
5,676
361
142
44,745
41,567
7,514
9,103
16901
5
Offences in relation to railways.
42,588
368
250
157
0
34,078
28,896
28,476
12
8301
6
Failing to surrender to bail.
41,341
2,959
1,327
261
17
32,338
18,171
8,467
2,174
14900
7
Criminal damage, value £5,000 or less.
39,416
9,998
8,049
247
9
25,632
21,083
5,093
1,039
12512
8
Harassment, alarm and distress.
27,683
4,638
3,344
651
0
19,346
15,407
9,176
10
17313
9
Any other offences peculiar to stage carriages and public service vehicles not classified elsewhere(1)
27,250
24
9
7
0
17,032
14,454
14,224
0
806
10
Assaults occasioning actual bodily harm.
23,811
3,634
2,667
15
366
17,180
11,733
413
3,600
Total
567,862
37,932
29,251
1,817
813
361,214
289,063
177,717
21,302
Number of persons
Females
Aged 10-17
Aged 18 and over
No
Offence description
Total proceedings
Total findings of guilt
Fined
Immediate custody
Total proceedings
Total findings of guilt
Fined
Immediate custody
19101
1
Television licence evasion.
43
33
33
0
89,028
80,802
80,286
0
18 Dec 2008 : Column 1035W
18 Dec 2008 : Column 1036W
17000
2
Motor vehicle licences; failure to pay appropriate duty.
4
2
2
0
16,807
14,626
14,409
0
10501
3
Common assault and battery.
3,643
2,852
15
62
7,619
5,095
430
344
4600
4
Stealing from shops and stalls.
2,712
2,447
89
36
13,998
12,873
1,866
1,985
16901
5
Offences in relation to railways.
59
40
22
0
8,083
6,681
6,580
1
8301
6
Failing to surrender to bail.
580
281
35
3
5,464
2,734
1,083
251
14900
7
Criminal damage, value £5,000 or less.
1,373
1,109
21
1
2,413
1,860
273
61
12512
8
Harassment, alarm and distress.
1,103
795
90
0
2,596
1,979
915
0
17313
9
Any other offences peculiar to stage carriages and public service vehicles not classified elsewhere(1)
20
12
12
0
10,174
8,129
7,929
0
806
10
Assaults occasioning actual bodily harm.
966
718
2
61
2,031
1,282
28
178
Total
10,503
8,289
321
163
158,213
136,061
113,799
2,820
(1) Includes offences under the Road Transport (International Passenger Services) Regulations 1984, sections 12, 24(2), 24(3), 25, 60, 66(a-e) of the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981, the Public Service Vehicles (Condition of fitness, equipment, use and certification) Regulations 1981 and the Public Service Vehicles (Lost property) Regulations 1978. (2) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
