Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Attorney General:
If he will hold discussions with the CPS on improving prosecution rates for assault of emergency workers in (a) Kettering, (b) North Northamptonshire and (c) England.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
I agree that we should do everything we can to protect our emergency workers. I hope that the Honourable Member will be pleased to know that between 2019 and 2020 the numbers of prosecutions for these offences increased by 27.2% in the East Midlands CPS Area and by 25.1% overall across England and Wales.
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2019 to Question 910352 on Terrorism: Prosecutions, if he will (a) review the type of data that the CPS collates and (b) introduce a new category under terrorism-related offences for returning terrorist fighters.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The CPS has considered the types of data it collates and has determined that it would not be appropriate to create a new dataset which overlaps with the information already collected and published by the Home Office. CPS collects data for operational purposes; the Home Office however report the National Statistics which are the official figures reported to Parliament.
Recent figures published by the Home Office report that last year, 84 people were tried following charges brought by the CPS for terrorism-related offences, resulting in 76 convictions. The remaining 8 were found not guilty.
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Attorney General:
How many returning jihadist fighters have been prosecuted (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully in the last five years.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The CPS does not collate or publish data on categories of offender such as foreign terrorist fighters. However, latest figures from the Home Office for all types of terrorism cases (which includes Foreign Terrorist Fighters) show that last year 84 people were tried following charges brought by the CPS for terrorism-related offences, resulting in 76 convictions. The remaining 8 were found not guilty.
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, if he will ensure that the Crown Prosecution Service always considers that racial motivation may be an aggravating factor for seeking higher sentences for conviction for child abuse.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Sentencing Council has issued a definitive guideline on the sentencing of sexual offences. Racial aggravation increases an offender’s culpability under the guideline and therefore the starting point and sentence range for the court to consider.
Prosecutors should assist the Court as necessary during the sentencing process, including drawing the Court’s attention to any relevant sentencing guidelines and the aggravating and mitigating features of the case.
Ultimately, sentencing is a matter for the court. Racial aggravation makes an offence more serious and the court has a duty to take this into account when it sentences a defendant.
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many people have been prosecuted for going abroad to assist Daesh.
Answered by Robert Buckland
As of the end January 2016, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had successfully prosecuted and convicted 38 individuals in 27 cases where the allegations were considered to be related to the conflict in Syria.
The CPS does not hold central records for the number of people prosecuted in relation to Daesh.
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) victim impact statements and (b) compensation claims are made when cases are brought to court in (i) Northamptonshire and (ii) the UK.
Answered by Robert Buckland
a) Under the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (Victims’ Code), victims are entitled to make a Victim Personal Statement (VPS), (sometimes referred to as a ‘victim impact statement’). When the Code came in to force in December 2013 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) issued operational guidance to support prosecutors in meeting their commitments. More recently, a national cross-agency protocol setting out the working arrangements for the reading of the VPS in criminal proceedings has been implemented (the CPS is a signatory).
b) The CPS has issued legal guidance on the role of the prosecutor to assist the court in the sentencing process by making it aware of all relevant information. This includes drawing the court’s attention to its powers to award compensation and inviting them to make such an order where appropriate.
Northamptonshire is part of the CPS East Midlands Area and the Area applies the national guidance which has been issued both in respect of the VPS and also compensation claims.
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what steps the Crown Prosecution Service is taking to prosecute successfully the offence of forced marriage in (a) Northamptonshire and (b) England.
Answered by Oliver Heald
The Crown Prosecution Service issued Legal Guidance on the new offence of Forced Marriage in June 2014. The Legal Guidance applies nationally and all prosecutors in the CPS, including those based in Northamptonshire, will refer to it when reviewing forced marriage cases. The CPS is also developing a new e-learning module on forced marriage for all prosecutors and expects to launch the module in July 2014, in addition to developing a joint training package with the police which will be delivered across all of the 13 CPS Areas this year.