CPS Direct
(asked on 10th July 2014) - View Source
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, in how many and what proportion of CPS Direct-charged cases the charge was subsequently (a) varied, (b) dropped pre-trial, (c) subject to a prosecution decision to offer no evidence at trial and (d) dismissed by the court in 2013-14 and each of the three preceding years.
The CPS holds no central records of the number of cases where one, or more, charge was varied subsequent to a charging decision made by CPS Direct.
The proportion of cases dropped by the CPS in cases where the original charging decision was made by CPS Direct is as follows:
| Year | 2010-2011 | 2011-2012 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 |
| No of dropped CPSD cases charged | 19,107 | 17,423 | 14,959 | 22,944 |
| % of CPSD Charged cases dropped | 15.90% | 15.30% | 14.90% | 14.30% |
No record is held of the number of cases where the prosecution decided to offer no evidence specifically at trial.
The table below shows the number and proportion of prosecutions where the original charging decision was made by CPS Direct which subsequently resulted in a judge directed acquittal or the court dismissing the case at trial, either of its own motion, or on a defence submission of no case to answer, without hearing evidence for the defence.
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Note. JDA – Judge Directed Acquittal, NCTA – No Case to Answer
Included here are cases where an acceptable guilty plea was submitted for one or more charges and the prosecution proceeded on other charges which resulted in a judge directed acquittal or a verdict of no case to answer.