Criminal Proceedings

(asked on 18th January 2023) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many individuals have ceased pursuing a case prior to reaching trial for (a) rape, (b) domestic violence, (c) burglary cases and (d) drug-related cases since 2010.


Answered by
Edward Argar Portrait
Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This question was answered on 26th January 2023

Victims can withdraw from the criminal justice process at any stage and some of this information is published for adult rape and all offences as part of our Criminal Justice Delivery Data Dashboard and through trial effectiveness in the quarterly Criminal Court Statistics, available at the following links:

We are taking strong action to address victim attrition, including:

  • In September, we fully rolled out pre-recorded cross examination (Section 28) for victims of sexual and modern slavery offences in all Crown Court locations across England and Wales. This special measure allows victims to pre-record evidence, spares them the glare of a live courtroom trial and allows them to give evidence in advance of the trial and then move on with their lives more quickly.
  • We have more than quadrupled funding for victim support from £41m in 2009/10 to £192m by 2024/25, and are increasing the number of Independent Sexual and Domestic Abuse Advisors to over 1,000 by 2024/25.
  • In December, we also launched a single source of 24/7 support for victims of rape and sexual abuse meaning every victim can now access free, confidential emotional support whenever and wherever they need it.
Reticulating Splines